Prison authorities sever external communications and threaten inmates amid growing fears of forced disappearances and executions
July 16, 2025 – Karaj, Iran — In a deeply alarming development, prison guards at Ghezel Hesar launched a violent operation early Wednesday morning, July 16, forcibly removing long-time political prisoner Saeed Masouri from Ward 4 without prior notice or explanation. The raid has triggered panic among inmates and raised serious concerns about the regime’s escalating campaign to silence dissent through intimidation, threats, and possibly enforced disappearances.
Eyewitness accounts from inside the prison indicate that agents stormed the ward and attempted to extract Masouri by force. Fellow inmates quickly intervened, confronting the guards and successfully preventing the transfer. Despite his temporary return to the ward, the atmosphere remains extremely tense, with fears that further crackdowns are imminent.
Saeed Masouri, a political prisoner held since 2000, has now endured 25 years of incarceration. Over the past month, intelligence officers have twice summoned him to the office of the ward chief, where he was reportedly subjected to explicit threats against both himself and his family.
In a related concern, Ward 4 houses three death row inmates, two of whom—Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani—have just had their fourth requests for retrial denied, leaving them at imminent risk of execution.
To stifle news of the raid and prevent public outcry, prison chief Allahkaram Azizi has reportedly ordered a complete shutdown of all external communications from Ghezel Hesar. Families and human rights organizations have been cut off from any contact with prisoners, deepening fears that a broader operation may be underway.
Further escalating the situation, deputy prison chief Ghobad, accompanied by members of the prison guard unit, is now stationed at the entrance of the political prisoners’ hall, apparently preparing for another assault. In a rare and defiant move, political prisoners confronted the guards with chants of “Death to the dictator” during the attempt to seize Masouri—an act of resistance that may now subject them to severe retaliation.
Human rights observers are warning that the Iranian regime may be testing new methods of repression, including the potential use of forced disappearances against political detainees. The aggressive silencing of prisoners, the targeting of long-term inmates like Masouri, and the blackout on external communications mark a deeply troubling shift.
Calls are growing for international human rights organizations and UN special rapporteurs to immediately intervene, demand access to the prison, and pressure the Iranian regime to ensure the safety and legal rights of all political prisoners inside Ghezel Hesar. The international community must act before more lives are put at risk in the shadows of Iran’s prison system.
