Six Prisoners in Vakilabad Protest Inhumane Treatment by Guards

Six prisoners held in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad have detailed in a letter the "violence and inhumane behavior" of prison guards, stating that guards beat prisoners and erase evidence of these actions from camera footage. According to the news agency of human rights activists in Iran, Hrana, Eisa EidMohammadi, Farhad Shakeri, Habib PirMohammadi, AbdulRahman Gorgij, AbdulBaset Orsen, and AbdulHakim Azim Gorgij criticized the poor mental and physical conditions of prisoners, unfair sentences, and neglect of medical issues, calling for a response from the United Nations and other human rights organizations to these injustices. The letter, which begins with the phrase "In the name of the homeland, which is the love of every human being, in its pure and honorable essence," refers to the publication of images from the prisons of the "bloodthirsty and cursed dictator Bashar al-Assad," labeling Assad as a "despicable criminal and a ruthless student of the dictator Khamenei," warning that with the departure of criminals like Assad and Khamenei, many crimes will be revealed. The six prisoners further stated that "despite the testimonies and evidence from compatriots, international and human rights organizations do not take decisive action against the crimes of the Islamic Republic in prisons, and we must witness new crimes of this dictatorial regime every day." They concluded their letter by urging the UN and human rights communities to expose the horrific prisons of Khamenei's dictatorial regime and hold such dictators accountable to prevent the recurrence of these inhumane acts. Eisa EidMohammadi, Farhad Shakeri, AbdulHakim Azim Gorgij, AbdulRahman Gorgij, and AbdulBaset Orsen were arrested in a joint case in 2015 by intelligence agents and transferred to Vakilabad Prison. The first branch of the Revolutionary Court in Mashhad, presided over by Judge Mahmoud Davood Abadi, sentenced Farhad Shakeri, Eisa EidMohammadi, AbdulHakim Azim Gorgij, and AbdulRahman Gorgij to death for charges of "rebellion through membership in the Salafi group Al-Furqan and membership in the National Solidarity Front of Sunni Iranians," while AbdulBaset Orsen was sentenced to 15 years in prison for "rebellion through membership in the Takfiri and Salafi group ISIS." The fourth branch of the Revolutionary Court in Mashhad, presided over by Judge Ahmadian Salami, sentenced these prisoners to death again in early August 2023, a ruling that was confirmed by the 39th branch of the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic in mid-August this year. Habib PirMohammadi, another signatory of this letter, was sentenced to a total of 22 years in prison for charges such as rebellion, conspiracy against internal security, and propaganda against the regime. A prisoner from Vakilabad Prison who was recently released on leave revealed the horrific conditions of this prison in an interview with Siamak Dehghanpour on a special program of Voice of America, calling for visits and investigations by domestic and international organizations into this prison.