Exclusive | Qazal Hessar Prison Through the Eyes of Eyewitnesses; From Execution Suites to Punishing Political Prisoners with Chains

Qazal Hessar Prison is known as one of the most notorious prisons of the Islamic Republic. Voice of America reports from two eyewitnesses who requested anonymity, depicting the state of health, overcrowding, drug trafficking, and human rights violations in this prison located in Alborz province; a place that reportedly houses "15,000" prisoners. According to "field observations" from the two eyewitnesses, in just one of the halls of Qazal Hessar Prison, which has a relative capacity of about 200 people, "more than 400 people" are held, and in a "Hosseiniyeh" known as "Hosseiniyeh Sleep," nearly "100 prisoners" are present. The witnesses stated that the overcrowding of prisoners in Qazal Hessar Prison is "15,000 people" and that their living conditions lack the necessary facilities. For example, the rooms measuring "1.5 by 2 meters" in unit four of section 21 of hall two, where political prisoners are held, are "similar to a grave pit." According to the accounts of these two eyewitnesses, there is not enough "bathroom and toilet" in this prison, and the ration of "hot water is two hours a day," which often is "not heated or is cut off." There is also a "power outage problem" in Qazal Hessar Prison, while "there is no emergency electricity"; during power outages, various facilities, including the "heating system and even the phone," are cut off simultaneously. The cut-off of the heating system and hot water in winter, when the area's temperature often falls below zero degrees Celsius, makes life in this prison even more difficult. According to the eyewitnesses, the prison's phone system is controlled by the company "Asiatech," which is "specifically owned by the Revolutionary Guards" and "these phones are monitored in real-time" so that "if news about the prison or reports about the conditions of prisoners are published" or if an "audio file" from prisoners is released, "it is immediately cut off." The eyewitnesses from Voice of America in Qazal Hessar Prison called for the attention of "activists and campaigners" to this issue and described Asiatech as a "censoring company," demanding a "boycott" of it. Previously, a group of political prisoners from the women's ward of Evin Prison had issued a statement referring to the "collusion of prison security and Asiatech" and called for a boycott of this company. According to the statements of the two eyewitnesses, the general nutrition of prisoners in Qazal Hessar is "inappropriate and non-standard," to the extent that "food is scarce and of very poor quality" and "red meat and fruit" have been removed from the prison's general food basket, and the lack of "inspection" and "adequate supervision" has led to "abuse" by prison managers. The witnesses told Voice of America that prisoners are "forced to visit the prison shop to meet their needs" and "prisoners who cannot afford to buy are forced to provide services and labor for the prison." According to the witnesses, these prisoners are forced to work in the "factory section" from "8 AM to 4 PM" for a monthly salary of "about 200,000 tomans." The report states that there is a "shortage of specialists, nurses, medical supplies, and even medicine and hospital beds" as well as a "lack of a suitable treatment environment" in Qazal Hessar Prison, which is "completely evident." The two informed sources pointed out the existence of a "drug trafficking cycle" in the prison, emphasizing that this situation has "led to the formation of mafia gangs" in the prison that "line their pockets with huge profits." According to these witnesses, the consumption of these drugs, which in some cases are "smuggled into the body" or brought in by relatives of some prisoners active in the drug cycle, keeps prisoners with a drug background engaged in substance abuse. The report indicates that drug use is prevalent among prisoners who entered prison with a "history of addiction," and by consuming these drugs, "they feel that their time in prison passes faster." According to eyewitnesses, "Unit 3 of Qazal Hessar Prison is located in the administrative building of the senior prison managers' office, which after the evacuation of Rajai Shahr Prison, managers, guards, and prisoners from various sections of this prison" including those accused of murder, robbery, rape, armed robbery, youth section, and Sunni prisoners have been transferred there. Two eyewitnesses emphasized the existence of solitary confinement cells known as "suites," which they said are "among the most notable sections" in the administrative building. According to the witnesses, the suite or solitary confinement is where "death row inmates are actually taken a few days before their execution, and from there they are usually taken to the execution site on Wednesdays or even recently on other days." The two witnesses described that the night before the execution, "a cleric goes to perform a religious ceremony for the executed person" in that cell, and "that night only the sounds of crying and wailing can be heard." The report states that behind this hall, there is a suite where "prisoners who have, for example, fought with each other, are taken there as punishment" and when they "enter the closed cells," if they protest, "they are beaten by the guards." The witnesses also say that in the hallway of this suite, there are "metal rings in the wall for shackling" prisoners. In this way, a prisoner is "handcuffed and shackled in a standing position with two rings, one on the hand and the other on the foot," and these rings are designed for prisoners who are deemed "dangerous." According to these two witnesses, this suite is "the same place where exiled political prisoners from Evin are taken for additional psychological and physical pressure" and "even political prisoners who go on hunger strikes or protest are sometimes sent there by the decision" of prison officials, including the "disciplinary council composed of the prison director, deputy director, information protection, and inspection" for "punishment and pressure." Another visible problem in this prison, according to the two eyewitnesses, is the treatment of prisoners' families during visits, where "inappropriate and inhumane behaviors that have been practiced for years due to the presence of thousands of prisoners victimized by drugs" are currently "still being carried out in other forms against the families of political prisoners." The witnesses mentioned the "mandatory wearing of a chador" for women during visits, "inhumane searches of children that will leave a mark on their minds for life, removing shoes and wearing slippers, and other illegal body search methods including touching sensitive body parts" as examples of the "inhumane behaviors" of the officials of Qazal Hessar Prison towards the families of prisoners, which they said are "a clear violation of citizenship rights, human dignity, and human rights" and "have led to widespread protests from families and political prisoners." Previously, some political prisoners, including Hamzeh Savari, had described Qazal Hessar Prison as a "terrifying slaughterhouse" where "the horrific smell of death" permeates. Saghie Laghai, after several years of working with various newspapers, became a reporter and then parliamentary and economic editor of ISNA in 1999. Since 2006, he has continued his professional activities focusing on Iranian issues and human rights and joined the Persian section of Voice of America in spring 2021.