On Saturday, November 19, designated visitation day for prisoners’ families, Niazi prevented the visits and imposed strict restrictions on prisoners’ basic rights, including banning communication with their families and limiting access to personal belongings. These restrictions intensified the tension, leading to protests by the prisoners. In response, Khosrow Tarafi, the prison’s head, along with several staff members, entered Religious Ward 8, where violent confrontations broke out between them and the prisoners, resulting in injuries to several individuals, including the prison’s head and a number of religious prisoners.
Following these tensions, prison guard forces intervened, violently attacking prisoners in Religious Ward 8. According to field reports, at least 15 prisoners were injured in the incident and transferred to solitary confinement cells.
Additionally, prison management cut off phone access in Religious Ward 8 and removed gas stoves used by prisoners for cooking, restricting their access to basic amenities.
These events occur amidst the absence of adherence to the principle of classifying prisoners based on their crimes in Iranian prisons, where authorities often disregard even the internal regulations governing prison management. Article 8 of these regulations, which emphasises the need to classify prisoners based on the type of crime and criminal record, is widely ignored across many Iranian prisons.
In light of these incidents, AHRO warns of potential fabricated charges against prisoners and the likelihood of increased repression against. The organisation calls on the international community and human rights organizations worldwide to exert pressure on Iranian authorities to halt these violations and adhere to legal principles and human rights.
