Ambassadors' Visit to Notorious Evin Prison, Criticized by Two of the Female Prisoners

http://www.ncr-iran.org/en/news/human-rights/23181-ambassadors-visit-to-notorious-evin-prison-criticized-by-two-of-the-female-prisoners

NCRI - Two of Evin’s female inmates have asked foreign countries’ ambassadors not to partner with Iranian regime officials in their efforts to present a false good-looking image of Iranian regime’s prisons and prisoners.

Atena Daemi and Golrokh Iraei, held in #Evin prison’s women section, say the inmates were unaware of the visit and did not meet with the ambassadors. The two civil rights activists have written a letter in this regard, asking foreign countries’ ambassadors to #Iran to visit Iranian regime’s prisons without prior planning. The two inmates have also asked #Asma Jahangir, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human right in Iran, to visit Iranian regime’s prisons and talk to inmates.

According to the two, the foreign countries’ ambassadors have visited only a few particular wards inside the prison while the political prisoners unaware of the visit couldn’t meet with them.

“If we invite some guests to our house, we would prettify the house as much as we can”, write Atena Daemi and Golrokh Iraei in their letter, adding “So, it’s no surprise to see the space in front of Evin prison’s Orders Enforcement Office, where political prisoners were executed by firing squad during the ‘80s, has now turned into a place to host 45 ambassadors.”

The two female political prisoners say they have only been informed of the ambassadors’ visit by newspapers and that prior to ambassadors’ visit to the prison, the inmates were moved out of the ward, apparently to be transferred to court or hospital but actually to be kept in solitary confinements in section 2-A of the prison until the time the ambassadors left.

“Have you been told that due to religious limitations, female inmates in Evin prison are denied of any physical examination, drug injection, or ECG by male doctors?” write the two political prisoners to foreign countries’ ambassadors, adding “Did they tell you that there’s not even a single female nurse to carry out these tasks?”

Aena Damei and Golrokh Iraei then point in their letter to the abandoned ‘ward-350’, aka men’s political ward, as well as the so-called ‘clerical ward’, saying “have you been told how many inmates have spent their whole prison term in solitary confinement? Inmates like Mohammad-Ali Taheri who’s been held in solitary confinement 2-A belonging to Revolutionary Guards for the past five years.”

The two political prisoners have asked the visiting foreign countries’ ambassadors not to partner with regime officials who try to present a false good-looking image of regime’s prisons and prisoners. Instead, the two political prisoners say, the ambassadors need to get a real picture by making unplanned visits to prisons.

According to the letter, the place where the ambassadors were hosted had been used in the ‘80s for executing political prisoners by firing squad.

Charged with ‘assembly and collusion against national security’ and ‘insulting the Iranian regime leader’, Atena Daemi was sentenced in the court of first instance to 14 years in jail. The sentence was then reduced by the court of appeals to seven years in jail.

Golrokh Iraei was also sentenced in July 2016 to six years in jail on charges of ‘blasphemy’ and ‘propaganda against the ruling regime’. The human rights activist was also charged with writing an unpublished book about stoning.

Ambassadors of nearly 50 foreign countries visited Evin prison on July 5, an event widely reflected by state media. Judiciary’s human rights department claimed that the ambassadors were surprised by prison’s nice situation.

Lauding comments published in regime’s media as being made by ambassadors of Indonesia, South Korea, and Portugal in this regard have been faced with wide protests.