With the onset of cold weather, the breakdown of heating systems and lack of hot water in Qarchak Women’s Prison have severely endangered the lives and health of the inmates, including pregnant women and nearly 20 young children.
Jila Baniyaghoub, a journalist and women’s rights activist in Iran, reported on X that almost all prisoners in Qarchak Prison have fallen ill and caught colds.
According to the same report, there is insufficient medication in the prison infirmary, and each sick prisoner has been given only two antibiotic capsules for treatment.
The journalist further noted that almost all inmates in this prison are convicted of ordinary crimes and that some children also live there with their mothers.
In another part of her report, she highlighted the issue of potable water in the prison, stating, “Potable water has been cut off for several days. Each ward, with over 100 inmates, has access to only one tap for drinking water, brushing teeth, and washing dishes.”
Baniyaghoub also reported that the prison’s heating system remains out of order, and authorities do not allow families of inmates to bring them additional warm clothing.
Hamed Farmand, a children’s rights activist, wrote on X that Qarchak Prison is located in a desert area, stating, “The lack of heating, which is not a new issue, means intensified cold. Children are held here with their mothers, and there have been as many as 20 children.”
The conversion of a poultry farm into an overcrowded prison, the lack of ventilation and safe drinking water, frequent sewage overflows, the spread of various diseases, the abundance of pests and vermin, and the harsh conditions for children and their imprisoned mothers are part of a report previously published by the Iran Human Rights Organization about Qarchak Prison in Varamin.
The report described the prison as one of the “darkest symbols of systematic human rights violations in the Iranian regime.”
According to the report, the prison wards are essentially converted warehouses originally intended for poultry, which have been repurposed for detaining female inmates, including political prisoners, for years without adhering to any standards.
The Iran Human Rights Organization stated that women in Qarchak Prison are held in cramped spaces with inadequate ventilation and lighting. They face unsafe drinking water, poor-quality food, lack of adequate health and medical services, and humiliating and gender-biased treatment as part of their daily suffering.
Inmates reported an abundance of pests and vermin, including cockroaches, mice, salamanders, lizards, water scorpions, and even venomous tarantulas in their living quarters.
According to prisoners, the water is not drinkable and, if not boiled and filtered, causes various gastrointestinal and kidney diseases. Political prisoners temporarily exiled to this prison stated that the water is not even suitable for bathing.
The report noted that Qarchak Prison lacks a water filtration system. Women, many of whom have no financial means, must purchase bottled water at high prices from the prison shop to access safe drinking water.
Meanwhile, the low-quality tap water is frequently cut off during the summer months.
According to the Iran Human Rights Organization, each hall in Qarchak Prison, housing an average of 150 inmates, has at most three or four toilets, which lack proper human waste disposal systems.
Despite the high number of sick prisoners, access to medical consultations is very limited, with a maximum of five inmates from each ward typically receiving medical attention.
Additionally, while prison authorities are extremely strict in prescribing and providing necessary medications, the distribution of sedatives and painkillers is widespread, used as a method to pacify inmates.
