Iran Focus

London, 30 Aug – A few days before Hassan Rouhani’s inauguration of his second term as president,
Prison guards forcibly transferred 50 inmates to a separate hall without allowing them to take their personal possessions, including their medicine. It’s reported that during this process, several prisoners who protested were beaten and injured.

On July 30, the special guards of Gohardasht Prison, west of Tehran, also known as Raja’i Shahr, raided a ward where political prisoners, prisoners of conscience, human rights defenders, trade unionists, journalists, and students were kept. They were transferred to Hall 10, a high-security section, where surveillance cameras and listening devices are installed everywhere, including the bathrooms, in an attempt to keep the prisoners under strict control. Hall 10 lacks minimum facilities, including beds and hygienic fitments, and its windows are sealed, so there is little ventilation.

Iran Focus

London, 29 Aug – The second term of Iranian President Hasan Rouhani, has only just begun, and his “moderate” presidency is already being challenged.

More than 20 Iranian political prisoners at Gohardasht prison, west of Tehran, were forcibly transferred to accommodations where conditions are described as “unbearable”. Their response was to go on a hunger strike, which has lasted for a month, now. Political prisoners at other jails have voiced their support, and many have joined the protest action. They are concerned, as it’s been reported that the striking prisoners at Gohardasht are being denied medical care by authorities.