Raid on Evin prisoners renews calls to release all political prisoners

Iran Roundtable, (Washington, DC) Iranian security forces, in anti-riot gear and using metal batons, beat political prisoners for approximately five hours on in Ward 350 of Evin prison on April 17, 2014, according to reports.

According to media reports on the morning of 17 April Ministry of Intelligence officials, along with about 100 guards dressed in riot gear reportedly entered Section 350 of Evin Prison, possibly to conduct a search.

The security men then turned on them, seriously injuring dozens. Reportedly more than 30 prisoners were injured, and at least four had to be transferred to a hospital outside the prison.

According to the news reports scores of prisoners were transferred to solitary confinement despite grave injuries, while being further beaten with batons during their transfer. Some prisoners reportedly sustained broken ribs and skull fractures.

Despite the calls and protests by the prisoners’ family members, the government has refrained from making any statements on the incident, while Gholamreza Esmaili, the head of the Iran Prisons Organization has dismissed the report as simply "rumors." He was quoted by ILNA -- Iran's semi-official news agency -- saying: "We should not pay attention to reports by the anti-revolutionary media."

The New York based Committee to Protect Journalists [CPJ] reported that at least seven journalists were among those attacked when Iranian guards and intelligence officials raided a section of Tehran's Evin Prison holding political prisoners on Thursday, according to news websites and human rights groups.

Amnesty International created an urgent action Calling on the Iranian authorities to ensure that all prisoners receive any medical care they may require; Urging them to protect those in solitary confinement from torture and other ill-treatment, and to have access to family and lawyers;  Calling on them to immediately conduct an independent, impartial, and thorough investigation into what took place at the prison, including why so many prisoners were injured, and whether guards and officials used unnecessary or excessive force.

Iran Roundtable has repeatedly called on the Iranian regime and the new administration of Hassan Rouhani to cooperate with the international mandates and bodies in charge of human rights safeguard in Iran.

"It is appropriate to call on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms Navi Pillay to initiate an independent and impartial investigation into the deteriorating situation of prisoners of consciousness in Iran and the April 17 raid on the notorious Evin prison.  Once more, we also call on the government in Iran to allow the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed to be allowed to enter Iran to carry on with his mandate.” Sharif Behruz, the President of Iran Roundtable said in a statement.

“Furthermore, we urge the international community, the US in particular, to condemn this and other barbaric acts against political prisoners in Iran and raise the issue openly with the regime officials.  All the recently made available channels of dialogue must be utilized to further the cause of freedom and democracy in Iran by supporting the defenceless prisoners of consciousness and exerting maximum pressure on the regime in Iran to respect the fundamental rights of its citizens. ” he added.

Iran under the reign of the regime Islamic Republic of Iran is home to largest number of dissidents in prison, among them a number of high profile political prisoners who have been imprisoned simply because the rouge state deems them as an existential threat.  There have been calls from Iranian activists and human rights organization to release all political prisoners, but hopes of hollow domestic reform and the recent inapt overtures from the international community has hindered even these efforts  and “Unfortunately, when the focus should be on the release of all prisoners of consciousness in Iranian prisons, the world community is shying away from loudly condemning this and other horrifying acts of violence by this regime against the people of Iran including its unjustly imprisoned prisoners.” Sharif further stated.

IranRoundtable, Staff Writer
April 28, 2014