In a statement, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an Iranian opposition coalition, warned about the condition of prisoners in Iran under wartime circumstances and announced that the lives of thousands of prisoners, especially political prisoners, are in serious danger due to the lack of shelters inside prisons, the severe shortage of basic facilities, and intensified repression by security forces.
The statement says that as airstrikes and bombardments expand across different parts of the country, millions of citizens have left their homes to stay safe from the attacks, but prisoners inside prisons have no possibility of taking shelter or leaving their places of detention. According to the council, prisoners are not only exposed to the dangers of military attacks but also face a severe crisis in meeting basic needs such as food, water, and sanitary facilities.
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According to reports that the council says it has received from inside prisons, the situation in some facilities is extremely critical. A report from Fashafouyeh Prison in Tehran states that after strikes hit areas around the prison, a number of prisoners tried to leave the prison compound to save their lives, but forces known as “NOPO” (the Iranian regime’s special police unit) prevented them from leaving by firing pellet rounds, using tear gas, and even live ammunition.
The dire situation of Iran’s prisons
According to these prisoners, after this incident living conditions inside the prison became significantly harsher. Food rations have been reduced, access to water and bathing facilities has been limited, and repeated electricity and gas outages have created numerous problems. It has also been reported that access to the prison store and many essential items, including food, hygiene products, and medicine, has nearly disappeared, and the possibility of making phone calls outside the prison is also being cut off.
Another part of the statement refers to the situation in Ahar Prison. According to this report, after the bombing of Sarab Prison in the early days of the war, all prisoners and staff from that prison were transferred to Ahar. This transfer has sharply increased the prison population in Ahar Prison and pushed conditions to a critical stage. According to local sources, the overcrowding is so severe that many prisoners do not even have enough space to sleep and are forced to rest on the floor. Shortages of food and sanitary facilities have also created serious problems for prisoners.
The situation in Gonbad-e Kavus Prison has also been described as critical in the reports received. Prisoners in this facility are said to be facing severe shortages of food, and some of them are suffering from hunger. In addition, the absence of a prison store and the departure of some administrative staff from their posts have caused serious disruptions in addressing prisoners’ problems. According to these reports, the increase in the number of prisoners after recent protests has also led to severe overcrowding in prison wards.
In this context, Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the Iranian Resistance (a title used by the NCRI), in the first days of the war called on the international community to take action for the immediate release of prisoners, especially political prisoners. She emphasized that keeping prisoners under conditions of bombardment constitutes a double crime and that the international community must act to prevent their lives from being endangered.
At the end of its statement, the National Council of Resistance of Iran called for the immediate attention of international institutions and human rights defenders to the situation of prisoners in Iran and warned about the humanitarian consequences of the continuation of these conditions.
