The head of Iran’s prisons apologized for “bitter events” in Tehran’s Evin prison after videos leaked by hackers showed beatings of prisoners, a rare admission of abuse by authorities.
Mohammad Mehdi Haj Mohammadi, promised “serious action” against those responsible for the “unacceptable behavior” shown in the videos of Evin prison recently leaked by hackers.
He apologized to the “Supreme Leader” and the nation and the prison guards but did not utter a word to apologize to the prisoners who were the target of the violent approach.
In a tweet on Tuesday Haj Mohammadi wrote he would “try to prevent the repetition of such bitter incidents,” accepted responsibility and apologized to “our dear Leader, the Iranian nation and honorable prison wardens.”
The leaked videos of Evin were described as part of an effort to bring attention to grim prison conditions in Iran, especially for political prisoners. However former political prisoners say it is nothing compared to what they experienced in detention.
There have been horrific reports of routinely using sexual, physical, and psychological torture against prisoners in Evin.
Leaked videos of Evin prison’s security cameras
A group of hackers known as Edalat Ali, or “Ali’s Justice” published hacked footage from Tehran’s Evin Prison security cameras.
The group claimed to have hacked the prison’s security cameras, showing footage from the control room and maltreatment of prison authorities with prisoners.
According to the communications received by Associated Press, the hackers copied data that amounts to hundreds of gigabytes and sat on much of it for months before releasing large quantities to the media in the wake of Ebrahim Raisi’s swearing-in as the regime’s new president earlier this month.
The group wrote on the control room’s monitors that Evin prison is “shame on Ebrahim Raisi” and there will be nationwide protests until all political prisoners are released.
Raisi has a history of abuses including high-level participation in the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners during the summer of 1988.
The surveillance footage released by a hacking group shows several guards beating a man in handcuffs. In a part of the footage, a prisoner has passed out in the prison courtyard, and prison guards drag him away.
Other videos of Evin Prison show an elderly man collapsing in a car park before guards’ approach and begin dragging him along the floor through the prison. At one point, a Muslim cleric steps over the man as he lies in a stairwell.
According to a statement published by the group, they seek to “reveal human rights violations” as the first step to stop it.
They also wrote that the Iranian regime’s horrific treatment of people on the streets, in universities, prisons, will be revealed.
The footage covers a period when Raisi was still in charge of the judiciary, before being confirmed as the regime’s president.
