Research Report: Examination of Arrests and Imprisonment on Political Charges in Iran

The Open Data Iran database has examined the issue of arrests and imprisonment on political charges in Iran from various angles in a research report. According to this report, the U.S. Department of State estimates the number of political prisoners worldwide to be over one million, but there is no agreed definition of 'political crime.' Governments imprison individuals for their political beliefs and activities, but they also imprison them for religious beliefs, ethnicity, language, gender, or sexual orientation. Whether these groups are also considered 'political prisoners' is disputed, and this disagreement, along with government secrecy, has made information about political prisoners inaccessible, incomparable, and unreliable. In Iran, although the existence of 'political prisoners' has a history of over a century, this issue has always been denied, and the term 'security prisoners' has been more commonly used. After the 1979 Revolution, this continuous denial by the government has resulted in a lack of accurate information regarding these prisoners. The Atlas of Iranian Prisons reports the existence of political prisoners in 240 prisons, counting their number at 1,100. However, last year, following the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests, judicial officials announced that they had released nearly 20,000 detainees, indicating a much higher statistic regarding detainees and political prisoners. The Open Data Iran database conducted a survey from the beginning of Esfand 1401 to the end of Ordibehesht 1402, asking social media users specific questions about arrests or imprisonment for political reasons. A total of 813 people participated in this survey, of which 73% were men and 27% women, 45% single, 44% married, and 11% divorced. 95% of respondents were urban residents and 5% rural. Most respondents reside in Tehran, with others spread across 31 provinces. The average age of respondents is 34 years, with 52% having education below a bachelor's degree and 48% having higher education. 28% of respondents had permanent jobs, 42% had temporary jobs, 24% were unemployed or retired, and 6% were students. According to the survey results, 47% of respondents said they had been arrested at least once for political reasons. Men have been arrested or imprisoned for political reasons more than women. Individuals with associate degrees or lower have been arrested or imprisoned for political reasons more than those with bachelor's degrees or higher. 37% reported that at least one family member had been arrested or imprisoned for political reasons. 62% had been arrested once, 28% twice, and 10% more than twice for these reasons. Men have been arrested and imprisoned more than once more than women. Individuals over 40 years old have been arrested or imprisoned more than once more than other age groups. Married or divorced individuals have been arrested or imprisoned more frequently than single individuals. 35% of respondents were arrested in 1401 and 1402, 59% in the 80s and 90s, and only 6% in the 60s and 70s. The rate of women's arrests has been higher in 1401 and 1402, but men were arrested more in the 80s and 90s. Individuals under 20 years old have been arrested more in 1401 and 1402, while those aged 20 to 40 were arrested or imprisoned more in the 90s. Single individuals were arrested more in 1401 and 1402, while married individuals were arrested more in the 60s to 80s for political reasons. In 1400 and 1402, most detainees were students, but most employed respondents were arrested or imprisoned between the 60s and 80s. In total, nearly 70% of respondents were detained or imprisoned for a month or less. The duration of detention or imprisonment for women has been less than for men. 53% of detainees reported that no court was held for them after their arrest for 'imprisonment.' This information is based on the report from the Open Data Iran database.