On Monday, April 13, seven political prisoners held in Ward 7 of Evin Prison in Tehran were abruptly, violently, and humiliatingly transferred to solitary confinement cells in Unit 3 of Ghezel Hesar Prison, a facility whose name is associated for many families of political prisoners with pressure, isolation, and serious threats to prisoners’ lives.
Among those transferred are Miryousef Younesi, a 71-year-old political prisoner, and Mehdi Vafaee, a 40-year-old political prisoner. Mehdi Vafaee was arrested in June 2022 and sentenced to 6 years in prison on charges of “assembly and collusion against national security” and “membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).” His mother, Shiva Esmaili, is also a political prisoner held in the women’s ward of Evin Prison; she was arrested in February 2023 and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
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At the same time, three other political prisoners—Abolfazl Rahbar, Omid Rahbar, and Farshid Dolatiyari—were also transferred from Fashafouyeh Prison (also known as Greater Tehran Penitentiary) to Ghezel Hesar Prison. The charges against these three prisoners have also been described as “membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran.”
According to the published report, agents of the Iranian regime’s judiciary shaved the heads of the seven political prisoners before transferring them from Evin, and then moved them while handcuffed, shackled, and blindfolded. The prisoners were also beaten with water hoses prior to the transfer and were injured.
The sudden transfer of these prisoners to Unit 3 of Ghezel Hesar, accompanied by beatings, humiliation, and the severing of their contact with their previous environment—has increased concerns about their physical condition and safety. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (an opposition coalition) has also called on the UN Special Rapporteur and an international fact-finding mission to immediately visit the place where these prisoners are being held and to clarify the reasons for their transfer to this prison.
