Head of Prisons Organization: Iran Leads the World in Prisoner Rights

Asghar Jahangir, the head of Iran's Prisons and Security Measures Organization, claimed that the Islamic Republic is 'leading' in the field of prisoner rights globally. Mr. Jahangir made this assertion on Thursday, August 5, in an interview with the IRIB news agency. In response to a question about the status of 'human rights' in Iranian prisons, he stated, 'We can confidently say that despite all shortcomings, we have acted in a way that makes us leaders in the world regarding prisoner rights.' According to Mr. Jahangir, inmates in Iranian prisons enjoy 'numerous privileges' such as 'communication with family, phone calls, leave, and free medical treatment.' He also added that although 'significant costs' are incurred for these 'privileges,' 'the Prisons Organization carries out all these actions in line with the preservation of human rights and human dignity.' The head of the Prisons Organization further noted that while prisoners in Iran benefit from these 'privileges,' 'in many countries, prisoners are deprived of their basic rights such as health care, food, and medical treatment, and few countries like Iran observe these issues.' He mentioned that the Prisons Organization in Iran is also 'leading' in 'attention to the health and treatment of prisoners, education, vocational training, and assistance to the families of prisoners.' On August 1, Mr. Jahangir had also described the issue of human rights raised by some countries regarding Iran as a political matter, stating: 'According to all foreign visitors to the country's prisons, our prison management programs and the observance of prisoner rights are unparalleled in the world, and our indicators surpass those of many countries claiming to uphold human rights.' He did not provide further details on which foreign visitors made such statements, as no UN or other international monitoring organizations have been allowed to visit the wards of Evin Prison since 2005. The head of the Prisons Organization's claims come amid repeated reports from inside Iranian prisons and from human rights organizations about violations of prisoner rights in Iran. For instance, on June 21, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran published a report describing the conditions of at least 25 political prisoners in the women's ward of Evin Prison as 'illegal' and 'inhumane' and reported on the 'mistreatment' of these prisoners by guards. According to the report, 'political prisoners held in the women's ward of Evin Prison are regularly deprived of access to medical care, face restrictions or deprivation in visiting their children, even young children, are denied phone calls with their families, and do not have access to adequate and proper nutrition.' Earlier this summer, the Tehran Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor announced that following a complaint from the Prisons Organization, the editor-in-chief of the Law newspaper was 'prosecuted' for publishing an article titled '24 Hours of Damnation' about the conditions of one of Tehran's prisons. The Law newspaper published a report on July 13 about a prisoner in the 'Tehran Grand Correctional Complex,' stating that this prison has 'only two hours' of water in 24 hours, which is 'very low quality and not suitable for drinking.' In the report, the prisoner stated that upon entering the prison, soldiers insulted him and 'tore' his coat and shoes, claiming they might contain 'drugs' and threw them away. Although Iranian officials have repeatedly stated that the number of prisoners is several times greater than the capacity of the country's prisons, they deny any criticism of the health and psychological conditions prevailing in Iranian prisons.