Beating female political prisoners in Qarchak prison
Call for urgent action to rescue prisoners on death row, and for an international delegation to visit Iran’s prisons
On Thursday, December 17, a prisoner named Shahab Javid was executed in Qom Central Prison. He had been tortured psychologically by three mock executions in the past years. His execution comes while it is said that the plaintiffs had dropped their complaint. The regime’s torturers had pressed him to write a letter of repentance, but he did not, insisting on his innocence.
Shahab Javid is one of 15 prisoners sentenced to death on financial charges and for clashing with the State Security Force. Another 14 prisoners are reportedly going to be executed soon.
In another criminal act, on Sunday, December 13, riot units stormed Ward eight of Qarchak Prison, where female political prisoners are being held and transferred Golrokh Ebrahimi Eraei to Evin Prison. The brutal attack was met with resistance from other prisoners. The Guards severely beat the prisoners with batons and tasers, injuring several political prisoners, including Zahra Safaei, Parastoo Moeini, Forough Taghipour, and Golrokh Ebrahimi Eraei. Zahra Safaei has bruises all over her body due to baton blows. Dragging her by her hair, the repressive guards pulled Parastoo Moeini on the ground to remove her from the ward as she had rushed to defend Golrokh Ebrahimi and her mother Zahra Safaei. Other prisoners rescued her. Finally, after being severely beaten, Golrokh Ebrahimi was transferred to Ward 2-A of Evin Prison.
Simultaneous with this attack, prisoners in other wards of Qarchak prison supported political prisoners by knocking on doors and bars while chanting, “Death to the dictator.”
The Iranian Resistance urges the United Nations Secretary-General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and relevant rapporteurs, as well as international human rights organizations, to take urgent action to rescue prisoners on death row in Iran and once again reiterates the need to form an international commission of inquiry to visit Iranian prisons and meet with prisoners, especially female prisoners.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
December 18, 2020