The lives of women political prisoners in the notorious Qarchak Prison of Varamin are in danger. Not only their living and sanitary conditions during the pandemic is catastrophic, but they have no security because of being harassed and threatened by dangerous criminals hired by the Intelligence Ministry.
Excerpt from a statement published by the NCRI Women's Committee:
It has been five days that the toilet drains are not working in the wards. The stinking odor of wastewater has overwhelmed all the wards. Prison authorities, however, have deliberately not taken any action to resolve this issue. This situation contributes to the spread of contagious diseases and respiratory disorders among inmates.
Despite the infection of many prisoners with the coronavirus, the prisoners are not provided with the minimum disinfectant detergents and equipment and have to buy them at high prices.
Prison doctors have abandoned the infected inmates and visit the wards every two or three months.
The price of dental services is so high that the detained young women and girls who have a toothache, have to have their teeth pulled.
Recently, on the orders of the prison warden of Qarchak, dangerous criminals have been sent to the ward where political prisoners are detained to incite fights and brutalize them. The lives of political prisoners Forough Taqipour, Parastoo Mo’ ini, and Zahra Safaei are seriously in danger. Zahra Safaei had previously received death threats from several hired inmates on June 13, 2020.
Last year, the clerical regime used the same tactic and had political prisoner Alireza Shir Mohammad Ali stabbed to death in the Great Tehran Penitentiary (a.k.a. Fashafouyeh) on June 10, 2019.
Authorities widely distribute Tramadol and Methadone among prisoners in the notorious Qarchak Prison so that prisoners would develop an addiction and not able to protest. The situation in this prison is so intolerable that ordinary prisoners occasionally commit suicide.
In Evin Prison, political prisoner Fatemeh Mosanna lost consciousness due to fever and chills on August 19, 2020, after which she was transferred to Tehran’s Taleghani Hospital. Most probably, she has contracted the coronavirus. Even her children have not been allowed to visit their mother. Fatemeh Mosanna and her husband, Hassan Sadeghi have each been sentenced to 15 years in prison on the charge of “waging war on God and disobedience” for supporting the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). They have been imprisoned since five years ago. All their properties, including their house and shop, have been confiscated by “The Headquarters for Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order.”
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, once again called on the UN Secretary-General, High Commissioner for Human Rights, Human Rights Council, relevant special rapporteurs, and the international organizations defending women’s and human rights to take urgent action to save the lives of women political prisoners. She reiterated the need to launch an international fact-finding mission to visit Iran prisons and prisoners, particularly the political prisoners and imprisoned women.