HRANA News Agency – Six Sunni prisoners detained in Vakilabad Prison, Mashhad, have written a letter exposing violence and inhumane behavior by prison officials.
The signatories—Isa Eidmohammadi, Farhad Shakeri, Habib Pir-Mohammadi, Abdolrahman Gorgij, Abdolbaset Avarsan, and Abdolhakim Azim Gorgij—have reported that prison officials assault prisoners and erase video evidence from surveillance cameras. They also criticized poor physical and mental health conditions, unfair sentences, and lack of attention to medical issues, calling for the United Nations and human rights organizations to respond.
These six Sunni prisoners protested the dire conditions of prisoners through their letter, demanding immediate action by international bodies to hold the Iranian government accountable and ensure transparency. In their letter, the prisoners highlighted issues such as prolonged uncertainty for detainees, harsh prison sentences, and neglect of medical needs, including both physical and psychological concerns. They expressed outrage at the violence and insults routinely inflicted by prison staff, emphasizing that officials often delete footage from prison surveillance cameras to conceal evidence of abuse.
The full text of this letter:
“Together, We Can Overthrow the Dictator…”
What is Happening in the Dictator’s Prisons?
In the name of the homeland, the love within every honorable and pure-hearted person.
Once again, crimes against humanity rage on.
In this era of democracy, freedom, and equality, the news and images from the dreadful prisons of the cursed criminal Bashar al-Assad clearly expose the bloodthirstiness of this tyrant, who has claimed the lives of millions. This alone illustrates the hatred such dictators harbor for freedom and equality. Moreover, this criminal is merely a pupil of the cruel regime of Khamenei, the dictator.
With the fall of these criminals, many more atrocities will come to light. Sadly, we have repeatedly witnessed the suffering of our defenseless compatriots in Iranian prisons. Despite testimonies and evidence from our fellow citizens, International organizations and human rights bodies have failed to take decisive action.
Every day, we witness new crimes committed by this dictatorial regime.
What happens in the tyrant’s prisons?
- Fathers have remained in limbo for nearly a decade, only to find their children have grown into adults in their absence.
- Long-term imprisonments have pushed families to the brink of collapse, poverty, and corruption.
- Young people have gone gray in these prisons while their parents have suffered strokes from longing and grief.
- Divorce, broken families, and countless other tragedies.
Meanwhile, the regime labels us as “delusional” while allowing political, ideological, and security prisoners to be beaten by its prison agents with impunity. They then brazenly erase footage from surveillance cameras and dismiss the prisoners’ accounts as fabricated lies against the regime’s officials. A recent instance of such a crime took place in Ward 6/1.
We, the political and ideological prisoners, demand that the United Nations and human rights organizations expose the horrors of the dictator’s prisons and hold these tyrants accountable, so that such inhumane acts are never repeated. Only then can we ensure a peaceful and beautiful future for the generations to come.
And a final word: Let us not forget that our loved ones have withered and perished under the yoke of tyranny. We will forever raise the cry of freedom for those still in captivity and for the families of those who gave their lives for the liberation of our homeland. Together, for the freedom of our country.
Details About the Authors of the Letter:
Isa Eidmohammadi, Farhad Shakeri, Abdolhakim Azim Gorgij, Abdolrahman Gorgij, and Abdolbaset Avarsan were arrested in 2015 by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence in connection with a shared case. A year later, they were transferred to Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad. In 2019, Branch 1 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Mahmoud Davoudabadi, sentenced Shakeri, Eidmohammadi, Abdolhakim Azim Gorgij, and Abdolrahman Gorgij to death on charges of “armed rebellion (Baghi) through membership in the Salafi group Party of Furqan and membership in the National Solidarity Front of Sunni Muslims in Iran.” Avarsan was sentenced to 15 years in prison for “armed rebellion through membership in ISIS.”
The death sentences were overturned by Branch 41 of the Supreme Court, presided over by Judge Ali Razini, and the case was referred to a parallel court for retrial. However, in August 2023, Branch 4 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Ahmadian Salami, once again sentenced the prisoners to death. In August 2024, Branch 39 of the Supreme Court upheld the death sentences.
As for Habib Pir-Mohammadi, another Sunni prisoner, he was arrested at his workplace on March 17, 2018. After 103 days of interrogation at The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Mashhad, he was transferred to Vakilabad Prison. On February 24, 2019, Branch 4 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Hadi Mansouri, sentenced him to a total of 22 years in prison on charges including “armed rebellion (Baghi),” “assembly and collusion against internal security,” and “propaganda against the regime.” Based on Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, 15 years of imprisonment as the most severe sentence will be enforced.
