Ward 5 of Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz, which has an official capacity of 100 people, is currently holding more than 125 political prisoners. These inmates face numerous problems, including overcrowding and a severe health crisis, and have announced that if their problems are not addressed immediately, they will go on hunger strike.
The Karun Human Rights Organization reported on Saturday, August 9, that following mass arrests after the 12-day war, at least 80 of those detained were transferred to Ward 5 of Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz.
After enduring physical and psychological torture and forced confessions, these individuals were sentenced to long prison terms, severely increasing the population of this ward.
Overcrowding and unsuitable living space
Although Ward 5 of Sheiban Prison was designed to hold a maximum of 100 people, overcrowding has severely impacted sanitary and human living conditions.
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Rooms in this ward, each with an area of less than 20 square meters, were intended for 12 to 15 people, but due to overcrowding, some rooms now hold more than 20 prisoners.
The yard of this ward measures only 60 square meters, and due to a broken sewage system, contaminated water and sewage have accumulated there, filling the prison with a foul stench.
The prison’s high walls, 12 meters tall and six meters thick, block the flow of fresh air and natural ventilation in the yard. Prisoners cannot walk, move around, or exercise there and are only transferred to another ward once every two weeks for exercise.
Rising illnesses and a severe health crisis
According to the Karun Human Rights Organization, the sanitary conditions in Ward 5 of Sheiban Prison are “extremely critical,” and various diseases have spread among the prisoners.
In addition to specific illnesses, the spread of skin diseases such as scabies, as well as influenza, has increased sharply.
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Another concern is that cooking is carried out in the ward’s yard, next to contaminated water and sewage, further endangering prisoners’ health.
This ward has only two toilets, forcing prisoners to endure long queues to use them.
There are also only two showers available for prisoners in this ward, and due to overcrowding, the waiting time to use them can reach two to three hours.
The available air coolers are ineffective, and the hot climate of Ahvaz makes conditions even more unbearable for prisoners.
Threat of hunger strike
In response to these critical and inhumane conditions, political prisoners in this ward have threatened to launch a “collective hunger strike” if their problems are not addressed immediately.
They stated that this action would be carried out in protest against the “inhumane conditions in the prison.”
Many prisoners in Iran are forced to use hunger strikes as a last resort to achieve their demands, putting their lives at risk.
They often go on strike in protest against unmet demands, including delays in processing their cases and the failure to respect their rights as prisoners.
Death row inmates and long-term prisoners
Ward 5 of Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz is one of the most overcrowded wards for political prisoners in Iran and houses a number of inmates sentenced to death or long prison terms.
Seyed Salem Mousavi, Habib Deris, Mohammad Davarshenas, Mehdi Sharifi, Mohammad Amin Abiat, Morteza Mehnapur, Masoud Jamei, Alireza Mardasi, and Farshad Etemadifar are among the death row inmates held in this ward.
Several political prisoners serving life sentences or long-term imprisonment — including Gholamhossein Kalbi, Abdol Emam Zaeri, Abdol Zahra Helichi, Yahya Naseri, Nazem Bureihi, Mohammad Ali Amourinejad, Seyed Yaber Albushouka, Seyed Mokhtar Albushouka, Ali Halfy, Ayoub Porkar, Fares Ramahi (Amouri), Saman Hormatnejad, and Davoud Hormatnejad — are also held in this ward.
In its report, the Karun Human Rights Organization wrote that human rights activists, expressing deep concern about the prisoners’ situation, have urged international bodies and human rights organizations to act swiftly to improve conditions and protect the lives and health of political prisoners in Ahvaz prisons.
These groups have called on international organizations to exercise closer monitoring of prisoners’ situations and prison conditions to prevent any human rights violations.
