Amnesty International: Security Forces Killed 36 Prisoners During Recent Protests in Iranian Prisons
Amnesty International reported that approximately 36 prisoners are believed to have been killed as a result of lethal actions by security forces to suppress prisoner protests.
In a report released by Amnesty International on Thursday, April 10, it stated: “There are fears that around 36 prisoners may have been killed as a result of lethal actions by security forces to suppress prisoner protests; these protests were launched to express concerns about the spread of coronavirus in prisons.”
Following the spread of coronavirus and concerns about the pandemic in Iranian prisons, prisoners in several different prisons in Adel Abad Shiraz, Eligo Ders, Tabriz, Saqqez, and Hamadan staged protests.
Amnesty International reported that these protests were launched by at least thousands of prisoners in eight prisons across different parts of the country and wrote: “These protests were met with lethal responses from prison officials and security forces.”
In the Amnesty International report, it stated: “According to reports received from several credible sources, the use of lethal ammunition and tear gas to suppress protests in several prisons resulted in the deaths of 35 prisoners and injuries to hundreds of others. In at least one prison, security forces beat protest participants, and it is feared that one prisoner may have died as a result of these actions.”
Amnesty International also called on Iranian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those imprisoned solely for the peaceful exercise of their rights. This comes as the Islamic Republic has refused to release the vast majority of ideological prisoners despite the spread of coronavirus.
Diana Al-Tawhawi, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International, said: “It is appalling that Iranian officials and authorities, instead of responding to the legitimate demands of prisoners for protection against coronavirus, have once again resorted to killing to silence people’s voices of protest.”
Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State, said on Wednesday, March 26, at a press conference: “We have asked not only Syria, but also the Islamic Republic of Iran, to release not only American citizens but all those unjustly imprisoned during these circumstances. This is a humanitarian act, and beyond the fact that these people were illegally imprisoned, in these circumstances humanitarian principles dictate that they should be released from prison.”
Nevertheless, a large number of prisoners in various Iranian prisons, including political and ideological prisoners whose sentences exceed 5 years, remain in custody in Iranian prisons.
Source: Voice of America
