Coronavirus Management Headquarters Proposes Leave for Criminal Inmates in Tehran Province

Following the outbreak of coronavirus in Iran and concerns about the virus spreading in prisons, the coronavirus disease management headquarters in Tehran proposed to the judiciary that some inmates in Tehran Province be granted leave while adhering to certain regulations.

Alireza Zali, head of the coronavirus disease management operations command center in the Tehran metropolis, said on Thursday, the eighth of Esfand (February 27), during a session explaining the headquarters’ resolutions, that it is possible for some “inmates in Tehran Province” to be granted leave if approved by the judiciary authorities.

According to ISNA, the headquarters proposed to the judiciary that inmates in Tehran Province be allowed to take leave after “screening and classification regarding criminal offenses” and on the condition of obtaining a “health certificate from healthcare providers within prisons.” According to Zali, granting leave to this group of inmates would “significantly reduce the burden of crowding in prisons.” The judiciary has not yet responded to this proposal from the coronavirus disease management operations command center.

Earlier, a group of families of political prisoners wrote a letter to Ebrahim Raisi, the head of the Iranian judiciary, asking him to approve the release or granting of leave to inmates for the duration of the coronavirus crisis in the country.

Families of political prisoners wrote in their letter: “We, a group of families of political prisoners, in order to prevent a human catastrophe, seek the release or at least acceptable leave for inmates until the end of the crisis period.”

The judiciary has not yet responded to this request from these families. Gholamhossein Ismaili, spokesperson for the judiciary, announced on the sixth of Esfand that the head of the judiciary had ordered special leave to be granted to “qualified inmates.” Without providing details, he only said that it has been decided that “in the current conditions of the country,” the number of admissions to prisons be reduced as much as possible and orders leading to arrest warrants be reduced.

Meanwhile, the “Iran Wire” website reported yesterday that Masoud Kazemi, a journalist, was released from Evin Prison on the evening of the seventh of Esfand, noting that the reason for this journalist’s release apparently was the outbreak of coronavirus in Evin Prison.

Uncertainty for Inmates in Other Provinces

Based on reports from domestic news agencies, granting leave to inmates due to concerns about coronavirus infection has only been proposed for inmates in Tehran Province. It remains unclear whether inmates in other provinces will also be included in this leave, nor has it been clearly stated what will happen to political, ideological, and security prisoners.

Many civil rights activists, human rights advocates, and political prisoners are serving their sentences in prisons in other provinces, and based on reports from the Ministry of Health, more than 20 provinces in the country are dealing with coronavirus, a situation that has also concerned the families of prisoners in other cities.

Sedighe Malekifar, the wife of Hashem Khastar, a political prisoner in Mashhad, said on February 25, referring to these concerns, that families of 14 political prisoners wrote a letter to the head of the judiciary requesting the immediate rescue of inmates from the danger of coronavirus. They asked the head of the judiciary to either release these inmates or grant them leave.

These 14 political prisoners are those who recently signed an open letter calling for Ali Khamenei’s resignation. They are currently in prisons in Mashhad, Tehran, and Kashan. The authors of the letter held the judiciary responsible for the consequences of “the spread of this dangerous disease among prisoners.” Reza Khandan, the husband of Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer and human rights activist who is imprisoned, also referring to concerns about inmates contracting coronavirus, wrote on Facebook: “The lives of prisoners are severely at risk due to the spread of coronavirus and the high probability of the virus entering prisons.” Asghar Jahangir, head of the Iranian Prison Organization, said yesterday to domestic news agencies that in order to “prevent the transmission of coronavirus to prisons,” until further notice, visits with inmates will be conducted via video calls.

Concerns from families of prisoners about contracting coronavirus intensified after reports indicated that one inmate died in Fashafuyeh Prison due to coronavirus.

Emphasis on Barracks Hygiene

Another focus of the coronavirus management headquarters’ activities in Tehran was assigned to military units in the Tehran metropolis and barracks. Zali, the head of this headquarters, considered the measures taken by military units in Tehran to be good, and regarding the barracks, he said that preventive and health services should receive attention and emphasis in these spaces.

Source: DW