Special Report: Death Prisons
In line with its escalating strategy of physically eliminating political prisoners, the security apparatus of the mullahs’ regime has launched a rapid and sweeping campaign to transfer detainees from Evin Prison to facilities with inhumane and deadly conditions. This report documents in detail the aftermath of the Evin bombing, the attempt to forcibly transfer Saeed Masouri, the hellish conditions of Fashafouyeh and Qarchak prisons, the humiliation of visiting families, and protest hunger strikes by political prisoners.
Evin Bombing: A Cover for Repression
Following the July 2025 bombing of Evin Prison, the ruling regime quickly relocated political prisoners to places such as Fashafouyeh and Qarchak. The official claim of ensuring “security” in response to foreign attacks has, in practice, served as a pretext for intensifying repression. Rather than ensuring safety, the transferred prisoners were cut off from their families, denied medical care, and subjected to extreme restrictions on communication.
Fashafouyeh and Qarchak: Hellscapes and the End of Humanity
According to documented evidence, Greater Tehran (Fashafouyeh) Prison lacks even the most basic medical, sanitary, and safety infrastructure. Inmates suffering from epilepsy, kidney disease, heart conditions, and mental illness are held without access to medication, enduring overcrowding, contaminated air, and degrading treatment. Reports reveal:
- Epileptic prisoners have suffered repeated seizures without receiving any medication.
- Many chronic patients are left in filthy, overcrowded cells without medical care.
- There is no proper ventilation, and inmates suffocate in the summer heat.
In Qarchak Prison, especially for female political prisoners, conditions amount to torture and psychological abuse:
- There are not enough beds; prisoners sleep on filthy floors.
- Food is of extremely poor quality, and drinking water is unsafe.
- Access to restrooms is severely restricted and deeply humiliating.
These prisons have effectively become “the end of the world” for political detainees.
The attempt to transfer Saeed Masouri: Silencing a Generation
Saeed Masouri, a political prisoner held for over 25 years without a single day of leave, was recently the victim of an attempt to get transferred from Qezel Hesar Prison to an undisclosed location. The day after this attempt, he wrote a powerful letter:
“Transfer or no transfer is not the issue. It’s all about more suppression; and more executions! Just as in 1988, today we face the same path under a new name: back then, it was the ‘Death Committee,’ now it’s ‘license to kill.’
My refusal to be transferred is not out of fear, nor the illusion that a few of us can stop these illegal acts, but to ensure this time the massacre won’t happen in silence. Let it be seen by history and the world’s conscience!
Let the world hear: A crime is in progress! And so is resistance even if it only serves as a warning that a crime is unfolding!”
His letter, steeped in defiance and historical memory, went viral among human rights defenders. Following his incident in prison, his family issued a public appeal for answers.
Human rights organizations; including Justice for Iran, Iran Human Rights, and the “No to Execution” campaign; demanded urgent clarification of his whereabouts, access to legal counsel, and immediate medical attention.
Several members of the European Parliament also expressed concern, warning that his case marks a shift toward “systematic elimination of political dissidents through enforced disappearance.”
Masouri is not merely a prisoner, he is a symbol of a generation that endured, resisted, and refused to be silenced. This attempt signals a new chapter in the regime’s organized violence against political prisoners.
Humiliating Families: Psychological Warfare
In recent weeks, families of political prisoners have been subjected to degrading searches, verbal abuse, and arbitrary cancellation of visitation rights. These inspections are designed to block the flow of prison news and evidence to the outside world, and to instill fear and exhaustion among relatives.
Some families were turned away after hours of waiting, and women were reportedly subjected to invasive full-body searches under threat of visitation suspension. These acts amount to collective punishment and violations of human dignity.
Hunger Strikes: The Prisoners’ Last Weapon
In response to illegal transfers, psychological torture, and humiliation of their families, waves of hunger strikes and sit-ins have begun among both male and female prisoners. Most of these protests remain undocumented due to the regime’s strict control over prison news channels.
In a joint letter, female prisoners in Qarchak wrote:
“They have brought us to a place where even breathing comes at a price. But we are still alive and as long as we live, we will resist.”
Legal Analysis – Issue 2
- The transfer of prisoners to facilities with inhumane conditions constitutes torture under Article 7 of the ICCPR.
- Denial of access to medicine and treatment violates Article 12 of the ICESCR.
- Humiliating searches of visiting families represent collective punishment and inhuman treatment.
Interim Conclusion
From the bombing of Evin Prison to the exile of detainees to the hell of Fashafouyeh, all signs point to a familiar pattern: the physical elimination of dissidents. Today, the silence surrounding this crime is deafening. If the world delays once more, tomorrow may be too late.
In Part 3, we will examine the growing similarities with the 1988 massacre, renewed warnings of a political genocide, and the urgent role of international bodies in halting this catastrophe.
To be continued…
