Political Prisoners Transferred to Gruesome Prison to Place Maximum Pressure on Those Detained

Ghezel Hessar Prison

Informed sources told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that several political prisoners and prisoners of conscience have been moved to Ghezel Hessar Prison in Karaj, and are currently detained under very harsh conditions at that facility, even though many of these prisoners are in “temporary detention” and have not received a final sentence. Ghezel Hessar Prison houses mostly prisoners with drug charges and other hardened criminals. An informed source told the Campaign that considering the types of prisoners kept inside Ghezel Hessar Prison, the lives of Mohammad Pour Abdollah and approximately ten other political prisoners are in danger.

Another reliable source from inside Ghezel Hessar Prison told the Campaign that political prisoner Amir Latifi was stabbed by another prisoner, sustained severe injuries, and was transferred to the prison infirmary. Human rights activists view the transfer of political prisoners to similar prisons a tool to put maximum pressure on prisoners of conscience.

There are currently thousands of prisoners inside Ghezel Hessar Prison. The facility is in dire conditions in terms of hygiene, prisoner security, and other standards.  According to the Prison Organizations Procedures, political prisoners must be separated from regular prisoners and the detention of political prisoners inside regular criminal prisoner wards is against the law.

There have been informal reports of widespread, group, and secret prisoner executions at Ghezel Hessar Prison, related to prisoners with drug crime convictions.

There have also been numerous documented cases of prison rape and murder. The Head of Iran’s Prisons Organization said that the facility holds three times more inmates than its capacity.

According to Ghezel Hessar prisoners, the facility holds five thousand death row inmates. The illegal act of transferring political prisoners to the facility has taken place during their “temporary detention,” which means these individuals have not yet been tried, convicted, or sentenced.

Following clashes in the prison on 14 March, dozens of prisoners were killed by Special Guards who opened fire on them. Official statistics of the Prisons Organization show the number of murdered inmates as only 14, but informed sources told the Campaign that dozens of prisoners were killed that day.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran demands an independent review of the events that took place on 14 March 2010 inside Ghezel Hessar Prison.  The Campaign further demands transparent and detailed information about the arbitrary and secret executions of dozens of inmates with drug trafficking crimes, including the number of executions, the reasons for the executions, and how they were carried out. The Campaign demands an immediate review of the regrettable conditions of all prisoners, and particularly the political prisoners inside Ghezel Hessar Prison.