Iran: The Prominent Female Political Prisoner Writes a Letter to Ambassadors Visiting Evin Prison

http://ncr-iran.org/en/news/human-rights/23192-iran-the-prominent-female-political-prisoner-writes-a-letter-to-ambassadors-visiting-evin-prison

NCRI - The female political prisoner Maryam Akbari Monfared has written a letter to foreign countries’ ambassadors to #Iran who recently visited #Evin prison, pointing out the facts being hidden from them by prison officials.

Held in various prisons for decades and currently spending her eighth year in Evin prison, Akbari Monfared describes in her letter the situation in Iranian regime’s prisons, saying “I’ve witnessed with my own eyes the devaluation of human and humanity”. She points in her letter to prison special guards beating wretched, feeble female prisoners with batons.

Part of Akbari Monfared’s letter is listed below:

To honorable ambassadors Mr. Dian Wirengjuri of Indonesia, Mr. Mário Fernando Damas Nunes of Portugal, and others,

For all those whose hearts are beating for human and humanity, and for a value beyond geographical borders.

I’m speaking as a witness. Witness to endless, horrible days in Share-Ray, #Gohardasht, and Evin prisons, where one even fails to breathe. Dark, high-ceiling metal sheds without any window to allow sunlight in, filled with cigarette smoke, accommodating 200 inmates each; crowded, noisy places which drives inmates crazy. A total devaluation of human and humanity, witnessed with my own eyes.

I’ve witnessed inmates’ furious eyes, and feeble, wretched women being beaten with batons by prison special guards. I’ve witnessed fights over food and bread in prison’s dining room, which was renamed as beating room by inmates. Prison food was so little that hungry inmates were forced to collect the residue of other food trays as well as the food which was left on the ground, and a little while later, throwing trays and chairs, and fighting over the remaining foods.

Mr. Gharibabadi, Deputy Chair of regime’s #Human Rights Headquarters’ International Affairs, have said some countries and media present a false, inaccurate image of Iran’s prisons! If that’s true and there’s a wonderful situation in your prisons, why didn’t you even allow former UN Special Rapporteur ‘Ahmad Shaheed’, and the current one ‘#Asma Jahangir’ to enter Iran, let alone visiting prisons?

Mr. Gharibabadi has spoken of prisons’ valuable healthcare services. Wasn’t it at these same prisons that Mr. Mohsen Dogmehchi got sick due to lack of medical care and eventually lost his invaluable life thereafter? Is it not true that Mr. Hoda Saber lost his invaluable life in this very Evin prison due to being sent to medical center late? while I’m writing this letter, my dearest wardmate Azita Rafeizadeh, mother of six-year-old Bashir and wife to Peyman Kushkbaghi who’s also serving his prison term in Gohardasht prison, is injured having broken her finger in two places on July 6. Three days on, however, she’s still not allowed to be sent to hospital for treatment.