Political prisoners held in Rajai Shahr prison of Karaj, who have been forced to endure at a maximum-security ward, refused to accept prison food on December 28, protesting harsh condition in the ward and asked the authorities to take action to change the inhumane conditions.
Some of the prisoners’ demands include having access to phone, air conditioning, newspapers, the library and club. They also demand that the heating system is repaired and their personal belongings returned to them including their refrigerators and TVs.
Presently, they are denied making telephone calls. They do not have hot water for bathing, and the ward’s ventilation and heating system are dysfunctional.
Prisoners also suffer from lack of fresh air as there is no adequate ventilation system. Prisoners also have to cover all the ward’s windows with nylons due to lack of heating system in winter cold.
political prisoners’ belongings which they had prepared at their own expense was confiscated by prison authorities and sold to other prisoners. Prisoners have declared one of their problems as illegally confiscating their belongings.
It is noteworthy that on July 30 the prisoners were transferred to Hall 10 located in the maximum-security section used for detention of prisoners affiliated with ISIS and al-Qaeda.
More than 60 surveillance devices and 40 closed-circuit cameras were installed in this hall. CCTV cameras were installed even in toilets and bathrooms, denying the prisoners their minimum privacy rights. All openings and windows were covered and sealed with metal sheets.
At least 20 prisoners went on hunger strike, protesting the transfer and the inhuman conditions they had been forced to endure in ward 10 of Rajai Shahr Prison.
In an apparent attempt to punish the prisoners, some of the prisoners were transferred to solitary confinement with handcuffs and shackles.
