Eighteen days after the Israeli strike on Evin Prison, which resulted in the transfer of male and female political prisoners to Greater Tehran Prison and Qarchak Varamin Prison, reports continue to describe the unbearable and inhumane conditions in these facilities. Despite prisoners’ protests, their dire circumstances remain unaddressed.
The political prisoners transferred to Greater Tehran and Qarchak prisons are being held in severely harsh and degrading conditions.
They report severe overcrowding in their cell blocks, undrinkable salty water, unbearable heat, a lack of basic supplies and medication, and poor sanitary and ventilation conditions.
Following Israel’s strike on Evin Prison in Tehran on June 23, male and female political prisoners were forcibly transferred to Greater Tehran and Qarchak prisons.
Previously, Evin political prisoners had called on officials of Iran’s regime—including prison authorities, judiciary officials, and the Prisons Organization—to issue furloughs or release orders during wartime, as permitted by law. According to state-run media reports, at least 80 people were killed in the Israeli strike on Evin Prison.
Greater Tehran: Absolute Hell
Some inmates have likened Ward 2 of Greater Tehran Prison to a “dog cage” and “absolute hell,” describing overcrowded rooms with 36 to 40 people and no ventilation, leaving them overwhelmed by the extreme heat.
They say the drinking water is salty and undrinkable, the showers are unhygienic, and despite repeated protests, no improvements have been made.
Ali Younesi, a student prisoner, is being held in a newly established security ward at Greater Tehran Prison run by the Ministry of Intelligence. He is among the political prisoners affiliated with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
Iranian Political Prisoner Ali Younesi Transferred from Evin Prison to an Unknown Location
Reports indicate that Ahmadreza Djalali, the Iranian-Swedish researcher and death-row political prisoner, is also being held in a Ministry of Intelligence-controlled security ward, isolated from other inmates. He has been denied phone contact with his family by order of this intelligence body.
Imprisoned Women Deprived of Basic Necessities in Qarchak Prison
Reports from Qarchak Women’s Prison in Varamin describe unbearable heat, broken sewage systems, lack of proper ventilation, and no washing machines. The unsafe, substandard kitchen gas system has become a major concern for inmates.
Female prisoners complain of severe restrictions on access to the prison’s store, gym, and other communal spaces. They say they are forced to wash their clothes in pots, and that only one cooling unit has been installed in the quarantine ward.
For more than two weeks, prison authorities have kept them in quarantine to prevent contact with other inmates, depriving them of basic facilities.
Over 1,200 women are held in Qarchak Prison on various charges, including 70 political prisoners. Some of these women are incarcerated along with their children, enduring widespread deprivation, restrictions, and hardship.
State-Run Ham-Mihan Daily Reports on Prisoners’ Dire Conditions
The state-run daily Ham-Mihan reported on Thursday, July 10, that the condition of inmates transferred to Greater Tehran and Qarchak prisons after the June 23 Israeli strike on Evin Prison is poor.
The report notes that families of political and financial prisoners transferred to Greater Tehran Prison have expressed concern over the new conditions, especially sleeping on floors, lack of proper hygiene, and disruptions in phone communication.
The article, highlighting families’ ongoing anxiety as they visit the prison to see their loved ones, quotes the mother of one inmate saying the conditions for prisoners moved from Evin to Greater Tehran remain unchanged.
The mother said, “My son is unhappy with the prison conditions. He still hears the sound of bombs in his ears, hasn’t seen a psychologist in person, and finds the air in the rooms unbearable.”
Mostafa Nili, a defense attorney, stated that these prisons lack access to adequate water and that humane living is not possible under such conditions. He added: “The situation in Greater Tehran and Qarchak prisons isn’t easily solvable, and it would be costly and likely ineffective.”
A knowledgeable source told Ham-Mihan that “the situation is so dire that a pregnant inmate has to sleep on the top bunk of a three-tiered bed. Now, 59 women from the Evin women’s ward are living in quarantine at Qarchak.”
According to inmates, the ward has six small rooms with no proper ventilation, insufficient space, and no kitchen. In some instances, sewage has leaked into the inmates’ rooms.
Ham-Mihan also cited other problems faced by the women, such as broken cooling systems, extreme heat, poor-quality food, and lack of proper access to medication. Quoting one prisoner, referred to as “N,” the paper wrote: “This is a slow death. We would have rather pitched tents in Evin than be transferred here.”
