Qarchak Prison: One Water Tap for Every 100 Prisoners; 'Almost Everyone' Has Caught a Cold

Some news sources reported that the intensifying cold in the Qarchak Varamin area and the interruption of water supply in the women's prison have created new problems for the prisoners in Qarchak and the children living with their mothers in this prison. Journalist Zhila Bani-Yaghoub wrote on Monday, December 26, that 'the prisoners in the women's prison in Qarchak have neither heating equipment nor hot water in this cold. Almost all prisoners have caught a cold. There is not enough medicine, and each prisoner has been given two capsules of antibiotics for treatment.' This journalist stated that 'almost all prisoners in this prison have ordinary crimes' and noted that 'some children also live with their mothers in this prison.' According to Ms. Bani-Yaghoub, 'the sweet water supply of the prison has been cut off for several days,' and 'each ward of the prison, with more than one hundred prisoners, has only one tap of sweet water that is used for brushing teeth, washing dishes, and drinking.' Additionally, Alieh Matlabi, a photojournalist who had previously been imprisoned in Qarchak and reported on the substandard conditions of this prison, wrote on social media platform X: 'When the cold reaches the women's prison in Qarchak, it multiplies. A prisoner abandoned in a wasteland with hundreds of women who sometimes hold a child in their arms in the frozen halls.' She added: 'With low-quality food, salty and contaminated water, and minimal facilities, the heating system, which produces more smoke than heat, has also broken down.' In previous days, a human rights organization had issued a detailed report warning about the substandard conditions of Qarchak prison and called for its closure. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, head of the Iran Human Rights Organization, stated that Qarchak prison is 'a symbol of the blatant denial of humanity and human dignity' and considered the continued operation of this prison 'a stain on the global conscience,' calling for its immediate closure and adding: 'Now more than ever, we must urge the international community not to remain silent in the face of this widespread violation of human rights.' The Iran Human Rights Organization also called for 'the immediate closure of Qarchak prison, guaranteeing the rights of imprisoned women and children, establishing independent oversight, ending the exile of political prisoners from this place, and achieving justice and accountability' from the officials of Qarchak prison. The substandard conditions of prisons in the Islamic Republic have always been criticized based on reports from eyewitnesses by international human rights organizations. Reports of severe cold and lack of adequate facilities in Qarchak prison come at a time when, in addition to the cold wave in Iran and severe air pollution, power shortages have disrupted the normal lives of citizens.