Political Prisoners Forcibly Moved to Another Ward in Tehran Prison

Some 82 political prisoners detained in Ward 5 of the Greater Tehran Penitentiary were transferred on Wednesday to Ward 2 of the prison, where had previously housed drug offenders.

On Wednesday morning, the head of Ward 5 informed the prisoners who are mostly detained on politically motivated charges and participating in November 2019 protests, that all of them were to be transferred to Ward 2.

Reports indicate that prison guards then forcibly relocated the prisoners.

The prisoners who mostly come from impoverished families, have provided items such as refrigerators, televisions, etc. with their own expense but they were not allowed to take their belongings with them.

They also said they had put time and energy into repairing the walls, the ceilings, and installing curtains on the beds, and that all their efforts and expenses had gone to waste.

Ward 2 has three rooms; each room has 24 beds. Considering the number of the prisoners who have been taken to the ward, there will be at least 10 inmates who must sleep on the floor. There are only six restrooms and four bathrooms.

The ward is infested by bedbugs, lice and itch mites that are threatening the health of inmates.

In the past few days, about 50 people and on Wednesday, more than 100 prisoners were transferred from other wards to this ward, increasing the risk of coronavirus transmission.

The coronavirus outbreak poses a bigger threat in this ward due to poor hygiene, and movement of prisoners from other wards and notoriously cramped conditions.

Some of the prisoners refused to receive meals in protest of their transfer to the facility.

located 35 kilometers south of Tehran, the Greater Tehran Penitentiary also known as Fashafuyeh Prison was originally built to hold drug-related criminals.

The prison also known as Fashafuyeh Prison was originally established to isolate serious drug offenders from other prison populations. But political prisoners and other prisoners of conscience are also sent to Fashafuyeh as additional punishment for refusing to cooperate with authorities, or to pressure them and their families.