Iran’s regime is reportedly planning a significant expansion of its prison system, with the construction of 70 new facilities according to research by Iran Open Data. This move comes amidst ongoing concerns about widespread human rights violations within Iranian prisons.
The Prisons Organization is reportedly building these facilities with a planned completion date of 2027. The 2023-2024 budget reportedly allocates over 1.128 trillion tomans for “penitentiary construction.” This substantial investment raises questions about the regime’s priorities, particularly considering the documented abuses within existing prisons.
A History of Abuses
The Iranian judiciary has a long history of violating fundamental international law and human rights within its prisons. These violations are widespread and ongoing. Prisoners are denied their basic human and citizenship rights. From the moment of arrest, detainees are treated as criminals, with no recognition of their human rights. Insults and humiliation by prison staff are commonplace.
The principle of separating prisoners based on their crimes is blatantly disregarded. Iranian authorities fail to uphold even their own regulations. Article 8 of the Prisons Organization Regulations, requiring classification based on the type and severity of the crime, criminal history, and the detainee’s personality and behavior, is routinely violated.
Beyond the known official prisons, Iran operates a network of illegal and unregistered detention centers. Examples include Pasargad Prison, Afsarieh Detention Center, and the Revolutionary Guard’s 66th Detention Center in Tehran, where an unknown number of prisoners are held. During various nationwide protests in 2009, 2017, 2019, and 2022, even security agencies established their own makeshift detention centers, where detainees were reportedly tortured before being transferred elsewhere. Pasargad Prison, located southwest of Tehran, is a Ministry of Defense facility that also houses a weapons factory.
Accounts from released prisoners across the country paint a grim picture of widespread rights violations. Prisons like Qarchak Prison and Great Tehran Penitentiary (Fashafuyeh) have gained notoriety for violence, overcrowding, inadequate medical care, and poor hygiene.
