For more than two weeks, Hamzeh Darvish, a Sunni faith prisoner of conscience, has been held in solitary confinement in Lakan Prison, Rasht, without any contact with his family. The isolation began on 8 October 2025, by order of Rasht Prosecutor Mehdi Falah Miri, immediately after Darvish released an audio message from inside the prison exposing years of torture and abuse and naming specific judicial and security officials in Gilan Province. Since then, no information has been available on his physical or mental condition, and his family and human rights activists warn of a serious risk to his life.
Judicial Background and Imprisonment
Hamzeh Darvish has been imprisoned since 2016 on security-related charges. Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Judge Mohammad Moghiseh, sentenced him to 18 years in prison (15 years to be served). In May 2020, he was punitively transferred from Qezel Hesar Prison to Lakan Prison in Rasht, where he has faced constant pressure and retaliation. Following the October 2022 Lakan Prison protests, a new case was fabricated against him although he was already in solitary confinement at that time. In August 2023, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison and exile to Ramhormoz on charges including “assembly and collusion against national security,” “intentional destruction,” and “insulting the Leader.” The sentence was later reduced to 10 years and 6 months.
Solitary Confinement and Total Communication Cut-Off
On 8 October 2025, prison guards acting under the direct order of Prosecutor Falah Miri removed Darvish from the general ward and placed him in a solitary cell. All phone calls and visits were immediately suspended. His family’s repeated attempts to reach the prison administration have been ignored. Given his past beatings and prolonged solitary periods, there is growing concern that he is again being subjected to torture or serious physical harm.
His Own Testimony from Inside Prison
Over the past five years, Darvish has publicly documented conditions inside Lakan Prison through letters and audio messages. He stated:
“For five years I’ve spent over twenty months in solitary confinement and endured physical and psychological torture. But I will keep telling the truth even if they kill me.”
In another message he wrote:
“They took me to the interrogation room and said the only way to end this is suicide. They have driven many prisoners to death with certain drugs.”
He was also stabbed on 29 September 2025 in the main corridor of Lakan Prison — an attack reportedly instigated by Intelligence Protection officers. These accounts illustrate a pattern of institutional retaliation aimed at silencing his voice, yet his revelations have prevented the regime from keeping these abuses hidden.
Health Crisis and Psychological Torture
Darvish has attempted suicide at least twice in protest at his treatment. In August 2023 he swallowed pills after receiving his new sentence and was briefly hospitalized before being returned to prison without proper care. Repeated isolation and deprivation have led to severe mental deterioration. In his letter to the UN Special Rapporteur he warned:
“I am not safe in this prison. They have encouraged me to commit suicide and told me that death is the only way out.”
International Response and Connection to the United Nations
In December 2024, Darvish formally wrote to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, detailing his mistreatment. Weeks later he was placed in shackled solitary confinement for one month on the prosecutor’s orders — a clear reprisal for contacting an international human rights mechanism, in violation of the UN’s non-reprisal principle. His complaints about torture and medical neglect align with the findings of the UN Human Rights Council Report A/HRC/58/62, which documented the lack of medical care and inhuman conditions in Lakan Prison. Furthermore, Amnesty International has consistently condemned the use of the charge of Moharebeh (“enmity against God”) against Sunni prisoners of conscience and has monitored Lakan Prison as a site of systematic abuse. His case fits squarely within this pattern of criminalizing faith-based prisoners through security-related accusations.
Legal Assessment
Solitary confinement exceeding 15 days violates the UN Nelson Mandela Rules and constitutes torture or cruel, inhuman treatment. Total denial of family contact breaches Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Articles 6 and 7 of the ICCPR. Denial of legal representation and fair appeal contradicts Article 14 of the ICCPR. Retaliation for correspondence with the UN violates Human Rights Council Resolution 12/02 on the protection of persons cooperating with UN mechanisms.
Human Dimension and Family Concerns
Darvish’s family has stated: “It has been two weeks without any news. No calls, no visits – we don’t know if he’s alive.” Relatives describe severe psychological distress as a result of his disappearance within the prison. Given his previous suicide attempt and the knife attack in September 2025, continued isolation constitutes an imminent threat to his life.
Conclusion and Call to Action
Hamzeh Darvish’s case epitomizes the systematic pattern of retaliation and repression faced by Sunni faith prisoners in Iran. His transfer to solitary confinement after exposing abuses and contacting the UN illustrates a deliberate attempt by the ruling regime to erase his voice. Yet his letters and recordings have broken that silence and drawn international attention.
International human rights bodies should immediately:
1. Demand his release from solitary and restore family contact.
2. Guarantee unrestricted access to legal counsel and independent medical care.
3. Investigate the reprisal following his letter to the UN and hold responsible officials accountable.
4. Place Lakan Prison under special international scrutiny as a center of systematic abuse.
In his last recorded message, Darvish said:
“They want to silence me, but whatever they do, I will speak the truth until my last breath.”
His voice now demands the world’s urgent attention and action
