Detainees linked to PMOI moved under violent conditions as concerns grow over fate in notorious prison
On April 13, 2026, Iranian authorities carried out the violent transfer of several political prisoners from Evin Prison to Ghezel Hesar Prison, intensifying concerns about their safety and the possibility of imminent executions.
According to reports, seven prisoners held in Ward 7 of Evin Prison were forcibly moved to solitary confinement in Unit 3 of Ghezel Hesar. Among them is Mir Yousef Younesi, a 71-year-old detainee arrested in January 2023 and sentenced to five years in prison.
Another prisoner, Mehdi Vafaei Sani, aged 40, was also transferred. He had been arrested in May 2022 and sentenced to six years in prison on charges of “assembly and collusion against national security” and membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). His mother, Shiva Esmaeili, is herself a political prisoner currently held in the women’s ward of Evin Prison. She was arrested in Tehran in February 2023 and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Reports indicate that the prisoners were subjected to severe mistreatment during the transfer. They were handcuffed, shackled, and blindfolded. Prior to their removal, prison guards reportedly shaved their heads and beat them with water hoses, leaving several injured.
Simultaneously, three other political prisoners—Abolfazl Rahbar, Omid Rahbar, and Farshid Dolatyari—were transferred from Fashafouyeh Prison to Ghezel Hesar. Authorities have charged them with membership in the PMOI.
Ghezel Hesar Prison, long associated with mass executions and harsh conditions, has raised alarm among human rights observers, who fear that such transfers may signal preparation for further repression or executions.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) has called on the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, as well as the International Fact-Finding Mission, to urgently visit the prison and investigate the conditions of the transferred detainees. The organization has urged international bodies to determine the reasons behind the transfers and to ensure the safety of the prisoners.
The developments come amid ongoing concerns about the treatment of political prisoners in Iran, where reports of abuse, forced confessions, and executions continue to draw international condemnation.
