IRAN - Report of the National Council of Resistance of Iran on the prison situation
May 21, 2022: Report of the National Council of Resistance of Iran on the prison situation in Iran In recent weeks, the Iranian regime has responded to the people’s rightful protests with a sharp increase in essential goods prices with violence and brutality, resulting in at least six victims among demonstrators and bystanders in southwestern provinces. However, this is not the whole story. The ayatollahs have simultaneously led more inmates to the gallows, showing their ruthless approach toward any cry for equality, justice, freedom, and a decent life. In this context, authorities hanged at least six inmates in the prisons of Yazd, Birjand, and Amol in the last week. Iranian Opposition NCRI Reveals the Tyranny’s Classified Documents Based on the Iranian regime Prison Organization’s classified documents obtained by the Iranian opposition coalition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), some 5,197 prisoners are on death row or convicted of Qisas (retribution in kind). “Some 107 prisoners are sentenced to amputation, 51 were sentenced to stoning, and 60 death row prisoners were under the age of 18 at the time of the alleged offense in 2020,” the NCRI stated. According to the documents, there are “1,366 inmates with death sentences, 39 of whom are women; and 3,831 prisoners sentenced to Qisas, 144 of whom are women. The number of prisoners with sentences of more than 15 years is 17,190.” Meanwhile, many prisoners, particularly those on death row, have been deprived of a fair trial and proceeding. Interrogators coerced many to make false confessions on TV, easing inhuman tortures. However, the judiciary files torture-tainted confessions as evidence, and judges issue their rulings based on them. “Some causes of insecurity in prisons,” the Judiciary had titled these details. “The number of prisoners, not including the SSF, the MOIS, the IRGC, or the Military’s detention centers, is currently 210,423.” According to one document, 23 percent of the prisoners of the Prisons Organization, which number more than 48,000, are kept as “undecided,” which is “mainly due to the judicial process in the investigation stage, which includes agencies such as SSF, MOIS, etc. 5,398 are ‘foreign national’ prisoners.” Authorities Turn Prisons into Centers of Mafia Gangs, Pressuring Jailed Dissidents “Lack of funding in prisons, lack of smart electronic control systems and physical inspection equipment (body scanner) to prevent drugs from entering prisons, and worn-out prisons within the urban area,” point to the horrific conditions of prisoners in Iran, the NCRI stated. Such miserable conditions have pushed several inmates to commit suicide, decreasing their suffering, and the attempts were succeeded in some cases. Nevertheless, this is the tip of the iceberg due to the regime’s merciless torture and misbehavior against prisoners, which have led to the death of several inmates. On the other hand, Iran’s prisons lack fundamental standards, turning them into centers for promoting crimes, shaping mafia gangs, making low-income prisoners addicted, and exploiting them against other prisoners. In this context, prison guards encourage low-income or addicted inmates to commit crimes against jailed protesters, political prisoners, followers of religious or ethnic minorities, and prisoners of conscience to commute their harsh and long-term sentences.
https://irannewsupdate.com/news/human-rights/iran-5197-prisoners-are-on-death-row/ https://www.ncr-iran.org/en/ncri-statements/statement-human-rights/iranian-resistance-unmasks-regimes-judiciarys-classified-documents-no-5/ (Source: irannewsupdate.com, NCRI)
|