A recent report from a social worker in Iran has shed more light on the abysmal conditions inside Iranian jails.
The shocking report by Mr. Ali Mohammadzadeh who aids victims of addiction in prisons reveals new dimensions of the crimes committed years against inmates in the clerical regime’s dungeons, especially against death-row prisoners.
Horror verdicts
The report received Iran Human Rights Monitor sheds light on conditions inside Iranian jails and reveals the clerical regime’s methods to terrorize prisoners.
According to Mr. Mohammadzadeh, prison authorities implement a sentence called the “horror verdict” in a bid to terrorize prisoners and prevent likely riots inside prisons.
The horror verdict is carried out in this way: They take the death-row prisoner to solitary confinement, ostensibly to carry out his sentence. Sometimes, they keep the detainee for two or three days. Then they returned him to the ward.
Some prisoners are even taken to the gallows and returned.
This is one of the worst forms of torture commonly practiced by the regime to demoralize and terrorize inmates. During this transfer, the prisoner loses all hope for life and every second seems as long as a year.
A death-row prisoner lives day by day, sleeping every night fearing that he would be executed the next day. A death-row prisoner is waiting every moment for the guard to come in and take him away.
Usually after every execution, the prisoners are very quiet. Prisoners have strong bonds within themselves, because they are away from their families. The difficult life in jail brings them close. So, when one of them is executed, the rest of the inmates are deeply saddened for days and even months. They are fearful and terrorized.
In some cases, the prison staff deceive the prisoners. They say we are taking you to the clinic or the cultural unit. But immediately after leaving the ward, they tie the hands and feet of the prisoner and take him to solitary cell away from the eyes of other prisoners.
Death verdicts
Some prisoners cut their wrists or their jugular vein by some sharp object. In one instance for example, a death-row prisoner cut his own jugular. He bled so much that he was almost unconscious when he was taken to the gallows.
The prison staff and guards do their best to prevent leakage of the news of executions and the number of those executed. The regime’s authorities also put pressure on the victim’s family not to talk to the media.
In many cases, those executed are innocent. They were sentenced to death in trials which lasted only 20 minutes and where they did not have access to their lawyers.
Many prisoners are executed for their beliefs, for a criticism they made, or for dissent. They are executed in the absence of the rule of law and by arbitrary decisions of the judges. Then, their bodies are buried in absolute silence without informing their families. Prison authorities even charge the families for the price of the rope they use to hang the prisoners.
The most difficult time for death-row prisoners is their last visit with their family. Thirty minutes that will remembered for ever by his family.
Making prisoners addicted
One of the methods used by prison authorities to keep prisoners calm and prevent riots, is systematic distribution of addictive drugs among inmates.
The prison’s dispensary distributes methadone among prisoners. After some time, they become addicted to methadone and can be easily controlled. They do not protest fearing losing their share of methadone.
The prison staff and agents systematically distribute and sell all types of drugs among prisoners. The prison staff control the amount of drugs entering the prison and inside the halls. This drug distribution earns them large profits and at the same time keeps the prisoners calm and under control, preventing any possible riots and protests.
In the case of prisoners who are taken away to solitary cells to prepare them for execution on the next day, they give them large doses of hallucinating tablets and drugs. By the time they are taken to the gallows, they are almost unconscious and are not able to protest or do anything.
Surge in executions
In 2016, the number of executions surged in the Prison of Karaj. The staff had made a mechanical system which helped them execute 12 people at the same time.
The executions in Rajaishahr, Mashhad, Zahedan, Urmia and Central Prison of Karaj are carried out under absolute silence of the press.
Steering fights among inmates
Fights are common among prisoners. These fights are steered by prison staff and agents. Prison wardens and prison guards use this method to hurt or even eliminate prisoners. This is a sure way without any evidence tracing it to the authorities.
Keeping political prisoners and ordinary prisoners in the same place brings a lot of pressure on political prisoners. Sometimes, they are killed by their own inmates. They are harassed and tortured by their fellow inmates with prison authorities bearing no responsibility.
