Prisoners Transferred; Judiciary: 'Complete Transfer of Rajai-Shahr Prison' After 'Final Agreement' with the Governor's Office

After several days and following reports about the 'transfer of prisoners', the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic officially announced this morning the 'evacuation and closure' of 'Rajai-Shahr Prison'. The media center of the Judiciary stated that 'all prisoners' have been transferred from Rajai-Shahr Prison to 'Ghazalhasar Prison', emphasizing that this prison, located 'in one of the best areas of Alborz province', has been 'evacuated and closed'. According to the same announcement, the 'complete transfer of Rajai-Shahr Prison' will occur after 'final agreement' between the Prisons Organization and the Alborz Governor's Office. Rajai-Shahr Prison, also known as 'Gohardasht Prison', is located in the Gohardasht area of Alborz province, north of Karaj city, and was initially built to hold 'suspects of public crimes', but over the past four decades, it has seen many 'political, ideological, and civil activists' and widespread human rights violations. In this context, Reza Akavian, a human rights reporter, told the Persian section of 'Voice of America' that 'the highest number of executions' in the Islamic Republic has taken place in 'Rajai-Shahr Prison'. After the confirmation of the evacuation process of Rajai-Shahr Prison and the removal of prisoners by government agencies, journalist Hediyeh Kimiai also told 'Voice of America' that this prison is 'the record of the crimes of the Islamic Republic' and the government is 'destroying evidence of crimes'. Furthermore, Mahmoud Amiri-Moghadam, director of Iran Human Rights, stated that 'Rajai-Shahr Prison is a place of crimes against humanity'. The closure of Rajai-Shahr Prison, especially after the trial of 'Hamid Noury', is seen as an attempt to eliminate evidence of crimes. The closure is also viewed as a move to relocate the prison away from Karaj. The significance of this event is underscored by the historical context of mass executions that occurred in the 1980s, particularly in 1988, which have linked this prison to extensive human rights violations by the judiciary and security institutions of the Islamic Republic.