Exclusive; Details of Suppression of Women Prisoners' Protests in Vakilabad; Informed Source: Protesters Were 'Crucified' to the Bed

An informed source detailed the suppression of protests by women prisoners in Vakilabad prison in Mashhad in an interview with the Persian section of Voice of America. The protests by women prisoners against the extremely poor living conditions in the prison were met with severe and violent repression by prison officials. According to a family member of one of the prisoners, the first protest occurred in the first week of Mordad (July 23 - August 22) during a severe heatwave in Mashhad, and the second protest took place on Saturday, August 13. The female prisoners protested their issues by breaking 'windows, fluorescent lights, and cameras.' The source, who wished to remain anonymous, explained that the main reason for these protests was the unbearable heat in the wards and kitchen, which prisoners have likened to hell. They also complained about the 'disgraceful food,' the dirty kitchen, the lack of refrigerators and washing machines, the presence of harmful creatures like bedbugs, cockroaches, and rats, the absence of heating equipment in cold weather, or cooling equipment in hot weather, the dirty blankets, and overcrowding in the wards. Furthermore, the source noted that cleaning the wards is the responsibility of the prisoners, but they are not even provided with cleaning and disinfecting materials. Additionally, without access to washing machines, they are forced to wash their clothes in the bathroom, toilet, or wherever they wash themselves or their dishes. Regarding the response to the protests, a family member of one of the prisoners told Voice of America that following the first protest, special guard officers entered the women's prison on the orders of the head of Vakilabad prison and proceeded to suppress and instill fear in the prisoners. Some prisoners were beaten and were not treated by the prison's medical staff. However, following the second protest, which occurred after prison officials failed to fulfill their promises to improve the prisoners' living conditions, the prisoners faced an even harsher response from the guards. In this context, the cell doors were closed for at least eight hours, restricting access to the toilet, workshop, store, yard, and medical care. On the orders of the prison head and physical protection, some prisoners were transferred to the comfort ward, which is a punishment (torture) area of the prison. Disciplinary files were opened for some prisoners, and some were deprived of visits, calls, and leave. In the so-called 'comfort' ward, prisoners are tied to beds in a crucifix position, and since their hands and feet are handcuffed to the four corners of the bed, this usually results in injuries and bleeding on their hands and feet. The source noted that the women's hands are only freed for using the toilet, and they can eat with one hand during mealtime. Additionally, women in this ward are forced to take sedatives continuously. Regarding the conditions in the wards of Vakilabad prison, a family member of one of the prisoners mentioned that there are seven wards in the women's section. Ward one is designated for ordinary prisoners who are detained for the first time. According to him, this ward has at least 14 cells, each measuring between 20 to 25 square meters, containing six three-tiered beds with very little space between them, making it impossible for prisoners to even sit on their beds. Ward two houses prisoners who have been detained for the second time or more, or who have received heavy sentences such as death. However, there have been instances where some political prisoners have been sent to ward one among non-political criminals for harassment. Meanwhile, in both wards, there is only one television, which is insufficient for dozens of prisoners, sometimes leading to fights over its use. Ward three is for prisoners under 18 years old but is connected to other wards, allowing the movement of other prisoners, especially those from wards one and two, which has created many problems, such as sexual assault, for the under-18 prisoners. Ward four is for pregnant prisoners or those with children under two years old. These women and their children do not receive adequate nutrition, which harms their health. Moreover, the overcrowding of children in this ward leads to tension and fights among mothers, creating opportunities for prison guards to insult or confront them. Ward five houses known political prisoners and has more facilities than other wards. A family member of one of the prisoners in Vakilabad noted that prison officials treat this group of political prisoners cautiously because they have media support or are under the protection of human rights organizations. Ward six houses political prisoners who have received less media attention and has a larger number of prisoners than ward five. The source mentioned that there is one exception in this regard, stating that Farzaneh Qarahassanlou is imprisoned in this ward and is subjected to abuse and pressure from prison officials. According to him, contact between political prisoners in these two wards is heavily monitored by the guards, and they have repeatedly questioned prisoners from ward six for communicating with prisoners from ward five. This source pointed out that female political prisoners have repeatedly protested the deplorable conditions of ordinary prisoners, including the situation of prisoners under 18. He stated that one of the tools used by the Vakilabad prison authorities is the psychological harassment of political prisoners, for example, by announcing through agents or lawyers that certain names will be released, but after a while, it becomes clear that this is a lie, causing emotional distress to the prisoners. Another ward in the women's section of Vakilabad prison is the comfort ward, where prisoners who have a history of protesting prison conditions or have fought with each other are imprisoned. Another ward is the quarantine ward, where prisoners are kept upon entry until their prison location is determined. However, the timing of transferring detainees to wards varies; for example, drug-related prisoners stay in this ward for about a week, while those with financial crimes stay for one to two days. A notable point about this ward is that until they can deposit money, they cannot buy from the store or even have a container for eating. This process also takes 48 hours. In these cases, the help of other prisoners assists the newly arrived prisoners in getting through these conditions. Meanwhile, one of the forms of harassment present in all wards is that the lights are kept on at all times, preventing prisoners from sleeping. Reports indicate that similar conditions exist in several prisons of the Islamic Republic, such as Evin in Tehran and Sepidar in Ahvaz. Previously, the Persian section of Voice of America reported that in ward four of Evin prison, which has four halls, about 600 prisoners are held, with some cases having between 20 to 35 of them forced to stay in a 24-square-meter room; in hall one, most of the prisoners are accused of espionage, with 100 prisoners; in hall two, about 150; in hall three, over 180; and in hall four, about 190. According to this report, another released prisoner told Voice of America that the situation of the prisoners in hall one is not good at all and is worse than many other prisoners. He added, 'The conditions in hall three for first-class prisoners, that is, wealthy financial prisoners, are different, but right below them, the situation is different.' This former prisoner pointed out, 'Room one belongs to reformists, room three to political prisoners, room four to workers and teachers, and room five to members of the imprisoned Mojahedin Organization.' He also noted that rooms two and six are for financial prisoners who, unlike first-class prisoners, do not have adequate financial means. This former prisoner added, 'The first class has all kinds of facilities. Financial prisoners can bring in whatever they want; porcelain dishes, tea makers, coffee makers, tables and chairs, dried fruits and vegetables, but the lower class has nothing and even the bathrooms are dirty and without soap.' The conditions of the store, medical care, and workshop in the women's ward were also discussed. A family member of one of the prisoners in Vakilabad told Voice of America that the food provided to female prisoners is 'disgraceful,' adding that in ordinary wards, two chicken thighs are given to 18 prisoners in each cell. He noted that conditions for political prisoners are somewhat better, but all prisoners go to the store for better nutrition and unfortunately have to buy their necessities at higher prices than outside. He also mentioned that food items like fruits and vegetables are brought into the prison every Tuesday, but the quantity is very low, and prisoners must wait in line for hours to buy them, often missing out on the food they need. This source also stated that prisoners without deposited money search through garbage cans for food or become victims of sexual assault to receive money. Price gouging in Vakilabad prison is not the only case of its kind in the Islamic Republic's prisons. In this regard, a former political prisoner in Evin prison told Voice of America that according to prison law, the prison warden must provide hygiene, food, clothing, medical care, and even barber services free of charge to prisoners, but these facilities have become a source of income for the 'Cooperative Foundation of the Support Institute.' He added, 'This foundation, which was supposedly established to support prisoners and receives donations from benefactors, not only does not help prisoners but also takes advantage of them.' This prisoner pointed out several instances in this regard, including that store items are 30% more expensive and of lower quality than those from outside, while prison food is of poor quality and prisoners do not eat it. According to him, the Support Institute takes advantage of this situation as an opportunity to exploit prisoners, selling low-quality goods at several times the price with the foundation's stamp. Regarding medical care, a family member of one of the prisoners in Vakilabad told Voice of America that medical care for patients is delayed, and medications are also delivered to sick prisoners with significant delays. Additionally, the situation for prisoners needing psychological counseling is concerning. He mentioned that there are two psychologists working for the women's ward in Vakilabad, both of whom share a common room and see two patients simultaneously. Thus, a safe space for prisoners to discuss their problems privately is not created, as there have been instances where visiting prisoners have learned about another's personal issues, leading to tension in the wards. Furthermore, these psychologists sometimes disclose their patients' secrets to prison officials and even to the ward lawyers. Regarding the workshop, work in the prison workshop should help the prisoner or their family financially, but in the women's ward of Vakilabad prison in Mashhad, the wage for working from 7 AM to 4 PM is 2 million tomans. This wage is paid under conditions where the cost of living in Iranian cities is estimated at around 30 million tomans. Moreover, even this amount is insufficient to meet a prisoner's daily needs due to store price gouging. A similar situation exists in Evin prison in Tehran. Previously, a former prisoner told Voice of America, 'They employ financially disadvantaged prisoners there for a weekly wage of 400,000 tomans.' He emphasized that most financial prisoners face economic problems, adding, 'Believe me, many prisoners have nothing, and their families struggle to deposit 100,000 or 200,000 tomans a week.' This former prisoner pointed out that 'many are contemplating suicide.' Vakilabad prison is on the United States' sanctions list.