Vakil Abad Prison, Mashhad – Part Two – Women’s Ward
The Women’s Ward: The Most Dreaded Section of Vakil Abad Prison
The women’s ward in Vakil Abad Prison is one of its most terrifying sections. Extreme overcrowding, poor sanitary conditions, widespread human rights violations, sexual harassment, and psychological torture have placed female inmates—especially political prisoners and prisoners of conscience—under severe physical and psychological pressure.
Overcrowding and Inhumane Conditions: Confinement in a Stifling Space
The women’s ward consists of 14 cells designed to accommodate a total of 50 inmates. However, over 200 female prisoners are crammed into this small and overcrowded space. Each cell holds between 14 to 18 inmates in a confined area, devoid of any basic amenities, subjecting them to inhumane conditions.
Catastrophic Hygiene Conditions: A Threat to Prisoners’ Health
One of the most critical challenges in the women’s ward is its dire sanitary conditions. The prison’s old and deteriorating infrastructure, along with the lack of proper hygiene facilities, has exposed female prisoners to skin and infectious diseases. The presence of insects, cockroaches, and rats, combined with a shortage of cleaning supplies and an overall filthy environment, exacerbates the health risks. Prisoners do not even have access to facilities to wash their clothes. In many cases, severe illnesses and infections spread among the inmates, and many are left without adequate medical care.
Lack of Basic Necessities: Imposing Heavy Costs on Prisoners
Newly admitted prisoners, upon leaving quarantine, are forced to purchase all their necessities at exorbitant prices from the prison’s store. Many inmates cannot afford to buy essential items and must rely on other prisoners for support. Meanwhile, the prison kitchen’s poor conditions and the low-quality, inadequate food further raise concerns about the inmates’ health.
Sexual Harassment and Psychological Torture: Corruption and Unlawful Surveillance
One of the most fundamental issues in the women’s ward of Vakil Abad Prison is the prevalence of sexual harassment and psychological abuse. Prison officials and guards exploit their power to subject female inmates to sexual and emotional coercion. Reports indicate that some guards and prison officials engage in sexual assaults, using surveillance cameras to monitor inmates and select them for their own purposes. Prisoners are subjected to psychological torture, including sexual violence, continuous humiliation, and verbal abuse. These actions constitute a blatant violation of human rights.
Repression and Physical Torture: Increasing Violence Against Female Prisoners
Female prisoners of conscience and political prisoners in the women’s ward of Vakil Abad Prison endure brutal physical torture, including beatings, deprivation of food and medication, and even electric shocks. These tortures are not only meant to break prisoners physically and mentally but also to coerce them into false confessions and force them to renounce their beliefs.
Harsh Security Measures and Severe Restrictions: Denial of Basic Rights
Female prisoners in Ward Five—where many political prisoners and prisoners of conscience are held—are denied basic rights, including outdoor time, access to the prison store, and medical care. Prison officials have welded the windows shut and locked the doors, creating an enclosed and suffocating environment where inmates lack access to fresh air. They are also denied visits with their families or meetings with their lawyers, which is a clear violation of their fundamental rights.
Prisoners’ Protests and Uprising: A Cry Against Oppression and Human Rights Violations
In the first week of July 2024, female prisoners at Vakil Abad Prison staged protests against the inhumane conditions. These demonstrations were met with severe repression and violence by prison guards. The prison’s medical staff, under orders from the authorities, refused to treat the injured prisoners.
A second uprising occurred on Saturday, August 3, 2024, when female prisoners once again protested against their conditions. In response, special security forces, acting on orders from prison officials, escalated their crackdown, locking the cells for eight hours and denying inmates access to restrooms, the prison store, outdoor time, and medical facilities. By order of the prison’s security chief, some prisoners were transferred to the Asayesh ward, which houses inmates with psychological disorders, while others were deprived of visitation rights, phone calls, and temporary leave.
Crucifixion-Style Restraints and Transfers to the Psychiatric Ward
Following the suppression of female inmates, several prisoners were tied to beds in the Asayesh ward in a crucifixion-like position. Due to the extreme pressure from the restraints, their hands and feet were wounded and began to develop infections. Others were transferred to the Aramesh ward, designated for psychiatric patients, where they were forcibly administered sedatives, leading to addiction.
Mothers and Young Children in Vakil Abad Prison
Pregnant women, children, and their mothers are held in Ward Four of Vakil Abad Prison, previously known as Ershad Two. This section is separated from the rest of the prison by a single door, limiting interaction with other inmates. However, the conditions in this section are just as deplorable in terms of hygiene, food, and basic amenities.
Many women become pregnant while in prison, giving birth to their children behind bars. Some children are the result of rape, including assaults by prison officials and guards. Due to the lack of legal documentation and financial means to hire a lawyer, these women have not only been denied justice but have also been imprisoned on charges of adultery, with some even facing the death penalty by stoning.
Children detained with their mothers or those born in prison grow up in unsafe environments, walking barefoot in outdoor areas or on dirty prison carpets. They lack access to age-appropriate educational resources and are forced to consume the same low-quality, inadequate prison food as their mothers. Due to the economic conditions of their mothers, they are also deprived of nutritional supplements. Most of their time is spent in small, overcrowded, and suffocating rooms.
Separation of Mothers from Their Children: A Humanitarian Tragedy
As soon as a child reaches the age of two, they are taken away from their mother. If the mother has no family outside the prison, the child is placed in state custody. Often, these children are transferred to orphanages in different cities without informing the mother, making it nearly impossible for her to locate them upon release.
International Human Rights Organizations’ Reactions
Numerous reports from human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, the United Nations, and other international bodies, have documented the human rights violations in Iranian prisons, particularly concerning female inmates.
- Unhygienic Prison Conditions: Organizations such as Amnesty International have repeatedly reported on the dire sanitary conditions in Iranian prisons and the lack of healthcare for female inmates.
- Sexual Abuse and Physical Violence: Reports highlight the widespread use of physical torture, including beatings and electric shocks, as well as sexual violence perpetrated by prison guards and interrogators.
- Suppression of Political Prisoners and Prisoners of Conscience: Female political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in Iran face severe restrictions, including denial of family visits, lack of access to legal representation, and exposure to psychological and physical torture. These issues have been extensively documented in reports by the United Nations and Amnesty International.
- Separation of Incarcerated Mothers from Their Children: The forced separation of children from their imprisoned mothers, especially after the age of two, has been a key concern in international reports. Organizations such as the United Nations have condemned these practices as violations of children’s rights.
Urgent Call for Action from Human Rights Organizations
The situation in the women’s ward of Vakil Abad Prison is a clear example of systematic human rights violations. The extreme overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, lack of basic necessities, financial exploitation, and violent repression of inmates all reflect a blatant disregard for human dignity. Human rights organizations and international bodies must investigate these conditions and pressure Iranian authorities to implement urgent reforms. Remaining silent in the face of such atrocities only enables the continued violation of fundamental human rights.
Insider Report: Human Rights Violations in Vakil Abad Prison – Part one
