Women’s ward of Bushehr Central Prison in Iran is a torture chamber
Labour rights activist Sepideh Gholian currently on furlough from prison in Bushehr province in Iran. She spoke about the details of the torture imposed on prisoners in the women’s ward in Bushehr prison.
Bushehr prison in Iran is one of the common prisons which holds non-political female prisoners who are arrested for offences such as murder, theft and drugs. The Islamic regime in Iran has been exiling political prisoners to common prisons to exert more psychological pressure and torture on political prisoners. The situation of these prisons are horrendous and prisoners are facing torture and humiliation every day, there are many contiguous diseases and prisoners are left without treatment, clean drinking water or even proper washing facilities. Many children are kept with their mothers in the most inhuman condition.
Please read and share the following text which is written by Sepideh Gholian which gives only a glimpse of what Islamic regime does to prisoners. While prisoners are facing such unspeakable torture and suffering the EU governments and its organisations have been silence and are still acknowledging the Islamic regime in Iran and shaking hands with its murderous president Ebrahim Raisi.
Shiva Mahbobi, Spokeswoman
Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran (CFPPI)
www.cfppi.org
shiva.mahbobi@gmail.com +447572356661
The following text is written by Sepideh Gholian and is translated into English by CFPPI
Here is a place near the end of the world:
Women’s ward of Bushehr Central Prison in Iran
Last year, when I was exiled to this prison, I knew that I would face a forgotten hell, but the current brutality in this prison did not even fit in my imagination. Women prisoners in this ward are being held under the most brutal torture and inhumane conditions for simply being women and being imprisoned.
I have written and said about the horror and brutality of this prison as much as I could but it was like standing in the middle of four walls and shouting. This time I want to talk about women in Bushahr prison to those who themselves have been oppressed and are subjected to violence. This report is only some examples of the condition under which women prisoners in Bushehr central prison endure.
1) Zahra, a woman from Afghanistan, escaped from the Taliban with her child, and now stands in the open space of Bushehr Central Prison during a symbolic funeral organized by the guards. According to the prison guards, Ahmad [ a young child], who was brought to this prison in his mother’s arms, is a “bastard”. At the order of the prison warden, Ahmed is wrapped in a shroud to get scared and go to bed sooner. Zahra is shocked and as soon as she takes the child out of the shroud, she comes to him, beats him and says that I will discipline him myself. Please do not do anything to my child. [ she does that to stop the guards from torturing her child]
2) The person in charge of the ward has determined that wearing underwear should be mandatory. Maeda refuses and does not want to wear a bra day and night. To punish her, all women prisoners are forced to hand over their underwear. Women prisoners are called prostitutes and threatened with coercion if they do not hand over their underwear. In front of the terrified eyes of other women prisoners, the prison guards tore women’s clothes (just because they refused to take off their underwear). They later forced everyone to take off their underwear and put their bras and shorts in a garbage bag held by the prison guards. After that day, wearing underwear was banned for weeks, even during menstruation.
3) Bathing of prisoners in Bushehr prison has certain hours. Sahar used a shower out of the set hours, and now for the same “crime” she has to be “cleaned” by the warden in charge in open space. One of the wardens forced her to strip, hosed her down in open space, while everyone else was forced to watch and boo. You would be deprived of the right to make phone calls if you averted your eyes from the scene. Tens of eyes, in shock and anger, stared at the shivering naked woman. Every one of us thinks how lonely and helpless we are.
4) The law of compulsory hijab for women prisoners in Bushehr is implemented to a level beyond what is common in some other prisons. Full covering is mandatory. A woman prisoner must wear a hijab anywhere except in bed.
5) Amina returns from the detention centre. Despite the completion of the investigation and interrogation process, she is transferred to the investigation centres several times, but not for questions and answers. She is handed over to the officers in coordination with the head of the ward to provide sexual services. Many things are done here in coordination with the warden, such as sending women who are not financially supported by the family to male prisoners for temporary sexual services.
Anyone who protests will face more and more torture. There is even a threat of genital examination in front of all staff and prisoners. Beatings of a prisoner, quarantine of a prisoner, bringing guards in for torture and assault, and denial of telephone calls and visits are among the consequences of any protest and disobedience.
These are just five cases I have reported to the authorities, verbally and in writing, in connection with the Bushehr Women’s Ward, and was responded with complete silence.
In the dungeon of Bushehr, any disobedience to the cruel and inhuman orders of the prison administrators is punished with more and more torture; in this purgatory no one hears the voices or sees the faces of prisoners!
[End]