Arash Sadeghi, a political prisoner in Rajai Shahr — Karadj Prison, wrote an open letter to Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, protesting “filing new cases against political prisoners”,
“lack of medical care for their health “ and “their deportation to a city prison other than their place of residence.”
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The text of the letter:
Dear Madam Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights,
I, Arash Sadeghi, hereby write to you to inform you that Ms. Golrokh Iraii, who was transferred from Qarchak Prison to IRGC Intelligence Detention Center 2A, in Evin Prison on December 13, was beaten with a shocker and a baton, and was returned to Qarchak Prison in Varamin on Sunday, January 24, after 43 days of interrogation. However, in the same night, wearing only a shirt and a pair of pants, minutes after being transferred to Qarchak prison she was deported to Amol prison without taking her personal belongings like clothes.
Ms. Iraii was transferred to a detention center for drug offenders, contrary to the principle of Separation of Crimes. In this new ward, there are about 50 inmates with charges of using or dealing drugs that are being held in two small rooms. A number of these prisoners, due to their drug addiction, had been homeless (another product of that regime and society) and brought their way of living with them: they never take baths, do not change their clothes, do not use any soap, and walk to the toilet and other places barefoot. Now, the sanitary condition of the ward should be completely conceivable. Additionally, the prison toilets and bathing services were filthy and falling apart, which has led to the spread of skin diseases in this prison. These inmates are usually not in a sober state due to abuse of drugs, including methadone. They often engage in risky behaviors that can occasionally be harmful to themselves and others. Some of these prisoners have other diseases, such as hepatitis, due to up to thirty prisoners using the same syringe. It is difficult for political prisoners to accompany prisoners incarcerated for drug-related issues, some of whom might have health problems.
Due to arrivals of new prisoners who were not quarantined, the probability of inmates getting infected with COVID-19 in this prison is high thus endangering the lives of the prisoners.
Due to renovation, the ward has not had outdoor recess for a long time. As a result, the cell doors get opened for a short period of time every day, letting the prisoners walk through the corridors inside the ward.
Due to a lack of ventilation in the ward, Ms. Iraii was constantly coughing while in contact with her mother because of her asthma, according to her mother.
This ward does not have the minimum facilities such as a library, workshop, etc., and a prisoner has to spend their days and nights with no mental or physical activities. During a meeting with the head of the prison last week, Ms. Iraii’s family asked why Iraii had been transferred to a drug-related ward. The head of the prison had replied that the transfer had been ordered by a judge in charge of political prisoners (Mr. Amin Vaziri) and that he had a duty to obey the judge’s order.
According to the regulations of the Prisons Organization, a prisoner must endure imprisonment in the nearest prison where (s)he resides and not in his or her birthplace. Ms. Iraii is married and resides in Tehran, and any transfer to her other than her hometown is considered deportation.
“Repression of Criticts”
The repression of critics has begun and has continued in various forms since the beginning of the Islamic Republic. Since the replacement of Sadegh Larijani with Ebrahim Ra’isi, these repressions and tortures have changed in appearance and intensified, and by maintaining a relatively justified appearance and building a showcase, the repression of critics continues in other ways. In June 2020, Ra’isi claimed in a speech that the Islamic Republic respected human rights better than anywhere else in the world. Now, if one wanted to review the performance of the judiciary and security institutions only in the time of Ibrahim Ra’isi, this claim would still be ridiculous and false.
Examples of human rights violations while Ibrahim Ra’isi was in office plus the justice system’s policy include:
-The murder of Alireza Shirmohammad Ali
-The persecution of political prisoners, such as deportation to Tehran-e-bozorg and Rajai Shahr prisons (for men) and Qarchak Varamin prison (for women)
-Beating of prisoners by prison authorities
-Filling new cases against prisoners under the pretext of criticizing the regime
-Harassing the prisoners’ families and deporting prisoners to cities far from their place of residence
-Non-compliance with the classification scheme of prisoners (keeping political prisoners with violent criminals, or drug related prisoners) and depriving them of their basic rights like having access to a hospital
Unfortunately, the prisoners have no refuge or protector. This situation is even more acute in the small city’s prisons. These pressures are aimed at defeating the critics, and in order to achieve it’s goal, the government uses their most harsh and violent methods. These pressures are often intensified every day with the complicity of Mr. Amin Vaziri (prosecutor and representative of the prosecutor) who is in service of security institutions such as the IRGC and the Ministry of Intelligence.
“ Deportation of Political Prisoners”
The deportation of political prisoners under the pretext of transferring them to their place of birth never has had legal validity. It makes difficulties for the prisoners to meet their families. In fact, according to the rules of the Prisons Organization, a prisoner must be kept in the nearest prison where (s)he resides.
Names of prisoners who have been deported to prisons outside their place of residence in the last year include the following:
-Zeinab Jalalian, deported to Yazd prison (she has been deported to four different prisons during last year)
-Samaneh Norouzmoradi, deported to Lakan prison in Rasht
-Saba Kurd Afshari, deported to Qarchak prison in Varamin
-Zahra Safaei, deported to Qarchak prison in Varamin
Genghis Ghadam Kheiri, deported to Ahvaz prison
-Reza Mohammad Hosseini, deported to Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj
-Mehdi Meskin Nawaz, deported to Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj
-Soheil Arabi, deported to Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj
-Maryam Samghani, deported to Gorgan prison
-Soheila Hijab, deported to Qarchak prison in Varamin
-Arsham Rezaei, deported to Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj
-Yasman Ariaei, deported to Kachuei prison in Karaj
-Monira Arabshahi, deported to Kachui prison in Karaj
-Nasrin Sotoudeh, deported to Qarchak prison in Varamin
-Etc.
” Lack of Medical Treatment”
During these years, many prisoners have been deprived of treatment due to the sabotage of the prosecutor’s representative (Amin Vaziri).“Lack of Medical Attention”
During these years, many prisoners have been deprived of medical treatment due to the sabotage of the prosecutor’s representative (Amin Vaziri). These include the following:
- Samaneh Norouzi Moradi (joint lupus and breast cancer)
-Fatemeh Muthanna (severe bleeding in the intestinal tract confirmed by a prison doctor and a specialist in intolerance of imprisonment)
-Athena Daemi (gland in breast )
-Metaleb Ahmadian (Spinal cord injury and blood clot in the testicle area due to trauma)
-Saeed Masouri (Urinary Tract Bleeding)
-Abolghasem Fooladvand(heart problem)
-Hamzeh Savari (gland behind the right knee)
-Afshin Baymani (heart problem)
-Mehdi Meskin Nawaz (Bone problems in the spine and legs)
-Soheil Arabi (blood clot in the testicular area due to trauma, and fracture in the leg area which was due to a lack of any treatment, it has healed crookedly. - Zeinab Jalalian (eye problems)
-Mohammad Nourizad (heart problem)
-Hashem Khastar (heart problem)
-Raheleh Ahmadi (coordination problems due to nervous shock from the transfer of her daughter Saba Kordafshari. According to Ms. Ahmadi’s lawyer, specialist doctors have even raised the possibility of her being paralyzed)
-Monira Arabshahi (inflammation of the thyroid gland. She even has difficulty in speaking) - Etc.
These people suffer from serious diseases yet are deprived of proper treatment services.
“Filing New Cases inside Prison“
Iranian regime’s security services has a long history of making new cases for prisoners while they are kept inside prison. These include the following:
-Soheila Hijab
-Athena Daemi
-Jafar Azimzadeh
-Majid Asadi
-Mohammad Banazadeh Amirkhizi
-Piruz Mansouri
-Maryam Akbari Monfared
-Golrokh Iraii
-Mehdi Maskin Nawaz
-Reza Mohammad Hosseini
-Soheil Arabi
-Etc.
My final thoughts:
My aim of writing this letter was, along with your own convincing reasonings, to show UN these simple facts as proven ones of deterioration human rights in Iran. I want to say that the harsh reaction from the regime’s high-ranking officials, in prohibiting the United Nations special rapporteur to come to Iran, was due to knowing the on going horrific tragedies in Iran’s prisons.They preferred the shame of not receiving the Special Rapporteur, rather than the shame of getting the report of all those crimes they had committed during these forty-three years.
Arash Sadeghi ,
Wednesday, February 3, 2021 / Rajai Shahr Prison- Karadj, Iran
Transcript:
- Amnesty International
-The United Nations Human Rights Council