Return to Evin, a dramatic transfer but with real violence

Political and ideological prisoners were returned to Evin Prison with great violence after a dramatic transfer by regime agents.

Amidst the growing crisis of legitimacy and international criticism of the Islamic Republic's treatment of political prisoners, this morning, Friday, August 8, over 600 political and ideological prisoners were returned to Evin Prison without their families' knowledge and in a secure environment. The transfer was accompanied by widespread beatings and once again exposed the structural violence against prisoners opposing the regime.

These individuals, who were transferred to Greater Tehran Prison after the Israeli attack on Evin Prison in July, have now returned to Wards 7 and 8 of Evin, where many of them have faced severe physical violence simply for refusing to be handcuffed and shackled. Informed sources emphasized that the transfer was carried out with the purpose of dramatically restoring the damaged image of Evin, while parts of the prison remain destroyed and lack basic facilities.

Among those beaten were well-known names such as Abolfazl Ghadiani, Mostafa Tajzadeh, Mehdi Mahmoudian, Mohammad Bagher Bakhtiar, and Khashayar Sefidi, figures who have become symbols of civil resistance against the oppressive regime. According to witnesses, they were severely attacked after resisting the humiliating treatment of security agents and were transferred to Evin with physical injuries.

These attacks were not limited to prominent political prisoners. A number of other prisoners of conscience, including Amir Hossein Mousavi, Hossein Shanbehzadeh, Morteza Parvin, and Mohammad Reza Faghihi, were also subjected to violence by security forces during the transfer.

On the other hand, a group of prisoners sentenced to death were also transferred to Qezel Hesar Prison in Karaj. Independent sources have revealed that these transfers were also accompanied by beatings, and prisoners such as Babak Shahbazi, Pouya Ghobadi, Vajid Bani-Amariyan, Mohammad Taghavi, Babak Alizadeh, and Akbar Daneshvarkar were under heavy pressure.

In response to these events, sources close to the prisoners emphasized that the move to return this number of prisoners to Evin is more of an attempt to restore the appearance of order to a prison that was destroyed by fire and now faces a severe lack of facilities and security, rather than a sign of real reconstruction.

The continued detention of hundreds of political and ideological prisoners in violent conditions far from humane minimums, including deprivation of medical treatment, degrading treatment, and psychological pressure, once again shows that the government's official policy is not based on the law and civil rights, but rather on the systematic control, intimidation, and humiliation of protesters.

While official media has only hinted at the prison's reopening, the reality inside Evin's walls is something else, where protesting voices are kept in a harsh silence, more fragile than ever.