In reports recently leaked from the Dolatabad Women’s Prison in Isfahan have indicated that the conditions inside the are so appalling and harsh inside the jail that many female prisoners are waiting for opportunities to commit suicide.

Food in the prison is of poor quality and often inedible, while several prisoners have reported finding insects in their meals.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) Women Committee said, “The bread is of poor quality because it is stale and contains a high concentration of camphor oil. For breakfast, prisoners receive a piece of cheese some days; other days, a prisoner might receive a bit of jam.”

The store inside the prison sells very low-quality food items at high prices, so prisoners are not able to purchase even staple foods such as vegetables. As a result of the lack of proper nutrition, many prisoners are suffering from anemia and are physically weak.

As for the hygiene in the prison, the conditions are abysmal. There are not enough bathrooms for the number of prisoners incarcerated, with 2 available for every 40 women, and most of the time, the toilet wells are backed up. Sanitary facilities are non-existent, and the women are forced to bathe in cold water.

The NCRI Women Committee said, “The prison clinic does not maintain even minimal facilities. As a result, if a prisoner’s condition deteriorates, no serious action is taken to save her life.”

Political prisoners who have been imprisoned in Dolatabad face the worst treatment. Many women have been transferred from other jails illegally, while others have arrived without having been sentenced for their supposed crimes. The transfers of the political prisoners between jails are usually done to keep political prisoners separated from each other, and to exert more pressure on the prisoners.

At Dolotabad, the political prisoners who reside there are at risk from prisoners, who have been accused of serious crimes like murder, who are hired by prison authorities specifically to harass them.

The NCRI Women Committee said, “The hired prisoners are provided with false information about the political prisoners, making the situation more complex. In some cases, false information has caused new cases to be brought against the political prisoners.”

Among the staff and inmates are several well-known names. One of the wardens is a woman called Rezvani, while Prison counselor, Ms. Dorosy works under Rezvani as one of the warden’s main agents. Ms. Dorosy is mainly tasked with harassing and insulting the political prisoners under their wing. A cruel prisoner named Keshani enjoys a certain level of protection while in prison as she is also involved in the harassment of the other prisoners.

Along with many other prisons in Iran, moral corruption runs rife amongst the prison authorities in Dolatabad. The staff often use methods of violence and torture to put pressure on the already tormented and ill-treated woman incarcerated in the prison.