Ali Darabi, a prisoner held in Fashafuyeh Prison (Tehran Great Prison), died after months of severe psychological pressure, prolonged legal uncertainty, and repeated unanswered requests regarding his case. On 20 October 2025, he attempted suicide by drinking methadone. He was immediately transferred to a hospital, but only three days later—while his medical treatment and psychological assessment were still incomplete—he was returned to his ward. According to informed sources, Darabi had repeatedly sought judicial review, visits, and the possibility of conditional release or alternative sentencing, none of which received any response. Prisoners report that in recent months he had been in an extremely fragile mental state, suffering from constant stress, threats, and despair.
A Growing Pattern of Suicides in Iranian Prisons
The death of Ali Darabi comes amid a disturbing rise in suicides across prisons in Iran. In recent weeks, two other prisoners sentenced to death also took their own lives under similar conditions in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad and Qezel Hesar Prison in Karaj.
– Ali Mirza Niazi, 39, attempted suicide on 6 November 2025 in Vakilabad Prison by swallowing pills and consuming methadone. He died later that same evening.
– Hadi Rezaei, a prisoner from Kuhdasht, attempted suicide on 5 November 2025 in Qezel Hesar Prison by ingesting crystal meth and died the following morning after being taken to a hospital.
Together with the death of Ali Darabi, these cases highlight a clear pattern of psychological deterioration, structural pressure, threats, degrading treatment, and prolonged legal uncertainty throughout the prison system under the ruling regime in Iran.
Call to Action
– Urgent request for the UN Human Rights Council to establish an independent fact‑finding mission on the rising number of suicides across all prisons in Iran.
– Immediate action by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran to investigate the mental‑health crisis, legal limbo, and structural pressures impacting prisoners.
– Engagement of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture to examine the role of threats, coercion, and detention conditions in these three recent suicides.
– A call on international human rights organizations to systematically document similar cases and increase global pressure to halt this deadly pattern.
– Emphasis on the urgent need for independent monitoring bodies to gain access to Fashafuyeh, Vakilabad, Qezel Hesar, and other prisons across the country for on‑site inspections and transparent reporting.
