Iran: Brutal Raid by Evin Prison Guards on Ward 7, Hall 5, and Beating of Prisoners
Disastrous Situation and Widespread Corruption in Lakan Prison in Rasht
On Sunday, July 26, in a criminal raid, the repressive guards of Evin Prison stormed Hall 5 of Ward 7. They beat the prisoners and looted their personal belongings, including rings, rosaries, clothing, and cigarettes. This brutal attack was carried out under the direct supervision of notorious henchmen such as Yousefi, Evin’s deputy of health (former head of Brigade 2 of Fashafuyeh Prison), Mohammadi, the prison’s internal manager, and Mahmoudi, the head of the ward.
Living and sanitary conditions in Evin Prison are extremely critical. The prison shop sells goods to prisoners at exorbitant prices and refuses to provide invoices. Inmates are denied proper baths, and due to the infestation of mice, bedbugs, and other pests, skin diseases such as scabies are rampant. Prison authorities refuse to segregate prisoners convicted of different crimes. To exert double pressure on political prisoners, they hold them in the same wards as violent criminals and ordinary offenders.
At the same time, institutionalized financial corruption and embezzlement among prison guards and regime agents in Lakan Prison in Rasht and the Prisons Organization of Gilan Province have severely worsened conditions for the prisoners. Following the appointment of a notorious henchman named Hamid Voskoui as the head of the Gilan Prisons Organization, the embezzlement of the prison budget and charity donations has expanded significantly, making life even more unbearable for the inmates.
In Lakan Prison, the prisoners’ quota of sanitary products—including toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, laundry detergent, and essential cleaning agents like bleach and hydrochloric acid—has been eliminated. Instead, these items are sold to prisoners at several times their actual cost in the prison store. Furthermore, the prisoners’ bread ration has been halved, forcing them to purchase the rest from the shop. Extorting huge sums of money from prisoners in exchange for basic rights such as leave and parole has become a routine practice.
The Iranian Resistance once again calls on the United Nations, its relevant bodies, and all international human rights organizations to address the catastrophic situation in the mullahs’ regime’s prisons. It reiterates its call for the dispatch of an international fact-finding mission to visit Iran’s prisons and meet with prisoners, especially political prisoners.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
31 July 2024