The guards beat the political prisoners on August 27 using electric shocks and truncheons, which meant many prisoners were injured. Despite this, the political prisoners are still being kept in solitary confinement.

The political prisoners had staged a hunger strike in July to protest the abuses they were suffering at the hands of the authorities, as well as their problems being ignored including:

• lack of space
• not being allowed to telephone their families and loved ones
• deprivation of light and clean air
• being locked up inside their cells without being allowed to go outside for fresh air

The Sunni political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, all 39 of them, are being held in Hall 36 of Ward 10 of Raja’i Shahr Prison, which only has two small rooms, one toilet, and one bathroom. As you can imagine, this does not make for sanitary conditions. The lack of adequate space means that there’s not even enough room for the political prisoners to stretch and lie down, let alone sleep comfortably, which means they are under increased psychological pressure. All of this was only made worse by the scorching summer temperatures.

Furthermore, there is only one telephone booth for all of these political prisoners who want to contact their families living in other cities. This is plenty of them, seeing as the Regime will often move political prisoners away from their families as an added torture. This phone line is connected only for two hours, which is not enough time for anyone to have a conversation with loved ones.

There is also no store for the political prisoners to purchase essential items that they need, such as toothpaste and soap, which the Regime does not provide.

Some political prisoners have been kept here with their legal status in limbo for over four years.

Raja’i Shahr Prison is one of the most notorious jails in Iran, housing mainly murderers, rapists, and drug smugglers. The Iran Prisons Organisation has transferred many political prisoners and prisoners of conscience here in order to increase the pressures on them.

The prison is infamous for conducting mass executions, depriving prisoners of medical care, using torture, beating prisoners, and denying prisoners their basic rights.