Field Report by a Journalist: The Conditions of Fashafouyeh Prisoners are Inhumane

Nader Fattorehchi, a journalist who was arrested following a complaint from the producer of the series 'Shahrzad' and spent a day in Fashafouyeh prison, has described this prison as 'hell' and labeled the conditions of ordinary prisoners there as 'inhumane.' Fattorehchi had previously raised concerns about the funding for the series 'Shahrzad' and the film 'A Bad Day.' He initiated a campaign titled 'No to the Shahrzad Series' to clarify its connection to a 1,300 billion toman embezzlement from the Cultural Fund for Teachers. He was imprisoned due to a complaint from Mohammad Emami, the producer of Shahrzad, and wrote that he was released after his father secured bail. Based on his observations of the 'ordinary and non-political' prison conditions in Fashafouyeh, he criticized the lack of attention from media and human rights organizations to this prison. Fattorehchi wrote: 'Attention to the living and welfare conditions of ordinary prisoners in Fashafouyeh is an urgent necessity. No one in Iran is more helpless and oppressed than them. They are literally under inhumane conditions and experience a double rejection that is unbearable for even one day.' The journalist criticized the quarantine conditions in Fashafouyeh, where all prisoners must stay for 'four days,' stating: 'As someone who has experienced quarantine conditions three times in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, I can confidently testify to the severity of the quarantine conditions in Fashafouyeh prison.' According to Fattorehchi, during the four days of quarantine, 'prisoners, regardless of their crimes and detention status, are deprived of tasteless drinking water, ventilation, toilets, cigarettes, and digestible food (cold and undercooked pasta, cold and uncooked yellow rice).' He added that Fashafouyeh prison 'lacks public toilets. The toilet is a hole in the floor of a 60 by 60 cm area without a hose, sink, or light, separated by a curtain from the beds and the floor of three by three meter cells, where 26 to 32 inmates 'crawl.' He noted that in the quarantine cells known as 'Physics,' 'there are three bunk beds and two blankets on the floor. Two upper windows lack glass, there is no air conditioning or heating, and water is cut off from 4 PM to 7 AM.' According to this journalist's report, the overcrowding in the cells is due to the 'incredible daily influx of newcomers,' with 'over 40 new prisoners added to quarantine almost every 24 hours, while a maximum of 10 people are released from quarantine each day.' He identified 'over 80 percent' of the quarantined prisoners as 'injecting drug users and homeless individuals' who 'cannot stand on their feet and should be transferred to the hospital instead of prison.' Fattorehchi also described the conditions of 'floor sleepers under the beds,' who are usually 'Afghans and injecting drug users,' as 'something akin to a coffin experience.' He wrote that 'due to lack of space in the cell, they are placed under the lower beds, and usually, three people, after being placed under the bed, lean back against the bed, thus depriving them of any movement under the bed and access to light and airflow. They are referred to as grave sleepers.' He continued that 'the stench from body sweat and infected wounds in the cells is unbelievable, and since injecting drug users go through withdrawal in quarantine, they lack the ability to transfer to the area known as the toilet for washing, which further increases the stench in the cell.' He also added that 'with drug users, thieves, filthy individuals, and Afghans, they are treated literally like animals and livestock.' However, Fattorehchi noted that although he was transferred to prison in handcuffs and shackles and was among the 'floor sleepers,' he was not disrespected from the moment of his arrival until the end. He added that although the sign at the entrance of Fashafouyeh prison reads 'Tehran Great Correctional Facility,' the 'pressure on the prisoner in terms of mental and physical health is so severe that it deprives the individual of the ability to think and fundamentally provides no opportunity for reflection and regret.' Nader Fattorehchi also referred to the dire situation of the families of Fashafouyeh prisoners, who 'sit on the ground and rubble in a desert area, and no one provides the slightest information about the presence or absence of the prisoner to the family.' According to this journalist, he met with individuals in prison who 'had been detained for four days and still could not use their two-minute free phone call due to overcrowding. This issue means several hundred thousand tomans for prisoners from poor families.' He also reported on the 'abundance of educated individuals' in this prison who 'usually have financial cases.' Fattorehchi addressed Mahmoud Sadeghi, a member of parliament who wrote after his arrest, 'Once again, instead of corrupt individuals and corruption, the whistleblower of corruption was imprisoned. If the complaint against him is not withdrawn by noon tomorrow, I will publish the details of the Cultural Fund for Teachers case,' urging him to take action for the prisoners of Fashafouyeh as soon as possible. He also reacted to some speculations that 'Sadeghi's threats worked and Fattorehchi was released,' stating: 'As far as I know, the release was secured by my father providing bail and assistance from the branch secretary in expediting the process, and it has no relation to Mr. Sadeghi's tweet.' Tehran Great Correctional Facility or Fashafouyeh prison is located 32 kilometers south of Tehran, which the Tasnim news agency reported in 2015 that 'after 15 years, the first phase' of this prison, which 'will be a camp or special prison for drug offenders,' was ready for operation. The report by Nader Fattorehchi and other prisoners who have experienced Fashafouyeh, including several women and men from the Gonabadi dervish community, about the dire human conditions and facilities of this prison comes at a time when, according to a report three years ago by Tasnim news agency, '200 billion tomans were allocated to complete the first phase of Fashafouyeh camp.' This news agency had described this prison as 'wards with all the necessary facilities for a prisoner.'