Like all other prisons in Iran, prisoners detained in Taybad Prison have encountered new problems with regards to their health and hygiene in prison after the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Taybad is a small city, capital of Taybad Country in Khorasan Razavi Province, in northeastern Iran and bordering Afghanistan.
Recently, seven prison guards have tested positive, wreaking havoc among the prisoners and staff.
Taybad Prison authorities intended to conceal this critical issue putting the lives of some 300 inmates and 30 other prison guards at risk.
The situation has provoked much tension since none of the prisoners have had any tests so far.
The families of some of the detainees have expressed concern about the conditions in this prison and the risk of infection their detained relatives in Taybad Prison face. Meanwhile, the prisoners are being summoned and sent back and forth to the courthouse.
Amnesty International declared on July 31 that it had detected copies of four letters from officials of the Prisons Organization in Iran which operates under the supervision of the Judiciary Branch. The authorities had expressed alarm in these letters to the Minister of Health over lack of personal protection equipment, shortage of disinfectants and detergents, and other key medical equipment. The Ministry of Health did not respond to these requests and Iranian prisons continue to lack adequate equipment to deal with the pandemic.
Asghar Jahangir, Head of the Prisons Organization, had boasted in March that Iran must be recognized by the world as the top guardian of the rights of prisoners.
Earlier, the director of the Healthcare Network of Taybad had announced that the situation in this city is “red” with regards to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
