A Political Prisoner's Account of the 'Horrific Smell of Death' in Ghezelsar Prison: 'It Is a Terrifying Killing Ground'

Hamzeh Savari, a political prisoner, described in a letter the transfer of several political prisoners from Evin to Ghezelsar prison as a 'terrifying killing ground' and warned that one should 'expect a humanitarian disaster.' In the letter published by the human rights news agency HRANA on Sunday, September 10, he referred to Ghezelsar prison as a 'black hole' and a 'terrifying killing ground for prisoners,' stating that prisoners including 'Sunni Muslims,' 'political prisoners,' 'those awaiting execution,' and 'dangerous and punitive prisoners' are all 'held together' and that 'the lives of all prisoners in this prison are literally in constant danger.' Hamzeh Savari was arrested on September 2, 2005, at the age of 16, and the Revolutionary Court of Ahvaz sentenced him to 'execution for corruption on earth, waging war against God, and actions against national security,' a sentence later reduced to 'life imprisonment.' He, along with several other political prisoners, was transferred from Evin to Ghezelsar on the 18th anniversary of his arrest, stating that they were 'forcibly' handcuffed and shackled on the orders of 'Hedayatollah Farzadi,' the head of Evin prison, and taken by bus. According to Hamzeh Savari, Ghezelsar prison is unsuitable not only for prisoners but even for its own staff, and 'the lives of all prisoners in this prison are literally in constant danger,' asserting that 'the only solution is to close this prison as soon as possible and transfer prisoners to a suitable place for detention; otherwise, we should expect a humanitarian disaster in the near future.' He describes that upon arriving at Ghezelsar prison, 'the stench of decay warned of the conditions within this detention center,' and the 'shocking and disturbing reality' was witnessing the 'fatigue, despair, and helplessness' and the 'changed faces' of Sunni prisoners 'in this short period of separation.' Hamzeh Savari added, 'The night officer directed us to the right side of this building where the putrid water filled the corridor and the horrific smell of death wafted from the overcrowded cells,' and 'ordered the guards to send prisoners in groups of four or five into these cells and lock the doors behind them.' This political prisoner stated that in these 'solitary cells' there was 'nothing but a dirty mat' and 'devoid of any living facilities,' adding that 'the toilet and shower were both in one place at the end of these cells,' and 'a camera' overlooked 'everywhere, even the toilet and shower.' He emphasized that the transferred political prisoners protested, stating that 'other prisoners expressed that this was the best place in the prison,' and the meaning of that 'became clear to us upon seeing the living conditions of Sunni prisoners, half of whom have been under death sentences for years and the other half have been in limbo for years.' Savari described the conditions of these cells as '15 prisoners living in a room slightly larger than a solitary cell,' with 'the shower, toilet, sink, and kitchen all in a smaller room,' and 'their roofed yard' being 'slightly larger than their cell,' yet they refuse to go to public halls because 'the public halls are full of crime and violence.' According to this political prisoner, Unit 3 of Ghezelsar prison is designated for former prisoners of Rajai Shahr prison, and while it 'has the capacity to hold 500 prisoners, currently at least two thousand prisoners are being held there,' and the 'disastrous population density' leads to 'bloody conflicts, assaults, killings of the weak, and various physical and mental illnesses.' On Wednesday, September 6, Zartosht Ahmadiragheb stated in an audio message, a copy of which reached VOA, that 16 political prisoners were 'abducted under extremely inhumane conditions' without prior notice from wards four, six, and eight of Evin prison and brought to Ghezelsar. The names of 13 of these prisoners, including Hamzeh Savari, Kamyar Fakour, Ahmadreza Haeri, Reza Salmanzadeh, Jafar Ebrahimi, Loqman Aminpour, Saeed Masouri, Afshin Baymani, Sepehr Imam Jom'e, Zartosht Ahmadiragheb, Mohammad Shafaei, Saman Saidi (Yasin), and Masoud Reza Ebrahimi Nejad, have been reported. These prisoners have been on hunger strike since their arrival at Ghezelsar prison in protest against the transfer and the unsuitable conditions of the prison environment. HRANA also reported that in Ghezelsar prison, 15 Sunni prisoners, including 'Ghasem Abasteh, Davood Abdollahi, Ayoub Karimi, Anvar Khezri, Khosrow Basharat, Kamran Sheikheh, Farhad Salimi, Fereydoun Zakerinasab, Salahuddin Ziaei, Abdolrahim Qomberzehi Gorgij, Aido Shahbakhsh, Abdolghani Shahbakhsh, Soleiman Shahbakhsh, Mohammad Saleh Ziadollah, and Abdollah Voria' are living in 'a small suite lacking necessary facilities.' Reza Akavaniyan, a human rights activist, told VOA that 'the Islamic Republic is seeking to carry out a silent killing of political prisoners by exiling them to Ghezelsar.'