Amnesty International: Images of Prisoner Abuse in Evin Are ‘Just the Tip of the Iceberg’ of Iran’s Torture Epidemic
Amnesty International responded to images and videos obtained by the hacker group “Adalat Ali” from security cameras at Evin Prison in northern Tehran by issuing a statement declaring that these images demonstrate “horrific abuse of prisoners and underscores the impunity granted to prison authorities in Iran who subject detainees to torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.”
In a statement released on Wednesday, September 24, Amnesty International analyzed 16 leaked videos obtained through independent Iranian media outlets.
According to Amnesty International, these videos show “shocking eyewitness evidence of beatings, sexual harassment, and deliberate neglect and abuse of individuals in need of medical care.”
Amnesty International added in its statement that these videos also serve as renewed confirmation of ongoing concerns about overcrowding in prisons and the horrific and inhumane conditions of solitary confinement cells.
Heba Morayef, Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International, states: “These disturbing images provide a rare glimpse into the routine brutality inflicted on prisoners in Iran. It is shocking to see what goes on behind Evin’s walls, but unfortunately the abuse seen in the leaked videos is merely the tip of the iceberg of torture epidemic in Iran.”
A group calling itself “Tapandegan” announced on Saturday, August 21, in an email to Voice of America that the “Adalat Ali” group hacked into Evin Prison, stating that “Adalat Ali” hacked Evin Prison’s cameras to demonstrate their protest and expose “the oppression and brutality inflicted on political prisoners” and obtained documents from inside the prison including “photos of the prison control room, wards and prisoner cells, files of political prisoners, and confidential Evin Prison documents.”
The news of the hacking of Evin Prison’s cameras and the publication of images of prisoner abuse received extensive coverage on social media and foreign media outlets.
Some Islamic Republic officials have also commented on the matter and promised that “abuse of prisoners in Evin Prison” would be investigated.
On Wednesday, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, responded in parliament to a reminder from one of the deputies regarding the published images from Evin Prison, saying: “The Committee on Article 90, in coordination with the General Prosecutor’s Office, should follow up on the matter related to Evin Prison.”
Heba Morayef, Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International, commenting on the Islamic Republic’s response to the leaked Evin Prison images, states: “If Iranian authorities want their promises on this matter not to be empty, they must immediately allow international observers, including the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, to conduct independent investigations into Evin and other prisons in accordance with international standards.”
Javid Rahman, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, described the state of human rights in Iran as “deteriorating” in his latest report.
In this report, he pointed to the Islamic Republic’s continued non-compliance with human rights standards, arbitrary detentions, widespread suppression of the November 2019 protests, and the downing of the Ukrainian plane by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and stated that families of victims of these events have been threatened.
Source: Voice of America
