March 16, 2018
Two women human rights defenders jailed for defending women’s rights and opposing the death penalty are being subjected to ill treatment in Shahr-e Rey prison, a former industrial chicken farm south of Tehran, Amnesty International (AI) charged last Friday.
Atena Daemi and Golrokh Ebrahimi-Iraee are being held in unsanitary conditions in the quarantine section of the prison and their access to the outside world is being severely restricted, AI said.
It said people detained in this section are given inadequate food and provided with salty water to drink. Ebrahimi-Iraee, who has been on a hunger strike for 35 days, is in very poor health. In the past week, she was placed on IV fluids without her consent, and at times has been unable to move, AI said. She is suffering from severe cramping in her muscles, which the prison doctor has confirmed is a result of the hunger strike.
Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said, “We are extremely alarmed by reports from Shahr-e Rey prison about the targeting and escalating ill-treatment of Golrokh and Atena. They should never have been imprisoned in the first place, and now it seems the Iranian authorities are deliberately subjecting them to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment because of their outspoken activism and continued human rights work even behind bars.”
Their lawyer has lodged an official complaint with the office of the prosecutor in Tehran, arguing that the transfer to Shahr-e Rey prison is illegal under the regulations on classification of prisoners, and places the two women in considerable danger as the prison is used to incarcerate women who have been convicted of serious violent crimes. There is a prevalence of violence, mental health issues and self-harm among prisoners.
The deputy warden of the prison has said the women will complete the remainder of their sentences in Shahr-e Rey prison.
Atena Daemi is serving a sentence of seven years for her human rights activism, including charges related to distributing anti-death penalty leaflets and posts on Facebook and Twitter criticizing Iran’s execution record. Golrokh Ebrahimi-Iraee is serving a sentence of three years for writing a fictional story on the practice of stoning women to death for adultery. The manuscript was never published but was found in her home during a police raid.
AI said that both women have been generally barred from using the telephone in recent weeks, even to stay in touch with their families. They are only allowed to make one phone call per week under the supervision of a male prison guard.
Fellow prisoners have been forbidden from interacting or speaking with them. AI also said that three death-row inmates have been following the two women, even when they use the bathroom and showers, apparently to intimidate them on the orders of prison officials.
The women have reported they are wearing the same clothing they were wearing when they arrived at the prison over a month ago. Their families have been prevented from providing them with fresh clothes.
According to Amnesty International, conditions in Shahr-e Rey prison are well below the standard minimum rules. Prisoners have reported urine-stained floors, filthy showers and bathroom facilities, a severe shortage of beds and the prevalence of contagious diseases. Prisoners have also reported poor quality food containing rock particles and salty, undrinkable water.