Shirin Ebadi Reports on 'Transfer of Political Prisoners' During Ambassadors' Visit to Evin Prison

Shirin Ebadi, in a letter to Asma Jahangir, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, reported the transfer of financial and political prisoners from Evin Prison coinciding with the visit of ambassadors from 45 countries to the prison. On July 4, ambassadors from 45 different countries visited certain sections of Evin Prison; a visit that, according to Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy for International Affairs at the Judiciary's Human Rights Headquarters, left the ambassadors 'astonished by the conditions and situation of Evin Prison and its inmates.' In her letter, published on July 10 on the website of the International Human Rights Campaign, Ebadi explained that on the day of the prison visit, 'at least twenty political and financial prisoners were transferred from Evin Prison to Ward 2A of the Revolutionary Guards under the pretext of being sent to the prosecutor's office and court' to prevent them from having a 'meeting' with the ambassadors. This letter was published after two civil rights activists, Atena Daemi and Golrokh Iraee, who are in the women's section of Evin Prison, wrote a letter to the visiting ambassadors requesting an unscheduled visit to Iran's prisons. They also called for Asma Jahangir, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, to visit the prisons and meet with the prisoners. According to these two civil activists, the reception area for the 45 ambassadors was 'the place of executions and firing squads of political prisoners in the 1980s.' Ebadi also protested the ambassadors' failure to visit the women's section of Evin Prison, stating: 'On that day, 24 women political-prisoners were in the prison, including Narges Mohammadi, Nazanin Zaghari, a dual-national prisoner, Atena Daemi, and Azita Rafieizadeh, who undoubtedly had significant statements to share with these ambassadors.' Raha Bahreini, a researcher at Amnesty International, also wrote in an article published in the British newspaper Independent: 'Iran showcased the most luxurious section of one of the most notorious prisons in the country to a foreign delegation.' According to Bahreini, 'this visit was not conducted for prison experts or human rights activists.' According to the news agency Mizan, the ambassadors from 45 foreign countries visited sections of Ward 4, a sewing workshop, the medical facility, and the wrestling hall of Evin Prison. Images published by this news agency show that a red carpet was laid out for the foreign ambassadors. This news agency described the prisoners' accommodations as 'six-bed rooms with red bedspreads and uniform carpets' and deemed it 'comfort and convenience' for the prisoners. The news agency also reported that in Evin Prison 'no prisoner is left without a doctor' and 'citizens' rights are the guiding principle of all personnel's behavior with prisoners.' Meanwhile, human rights organizations have repeatedly protested the 'delay' in providing services to prisoners and the inadequacy of medical services in the prison. In this context, the Iranian Minister of Justice announced the possibility of converting Evin Prison into a temporary detention center.