Examine individual changes

'{{short description|Prison in Iran}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}} {{More citations needed|date=September 2023}} {{Infobox prison | name = Evin Prison | image = EvinHouseofDetention (cropped).jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Evin Prison's main entrance in 2008 | mapframe = yes | mapframe-caption = Location in Tehran | mapframe-marker = prison | location = [[Evin]] | coordinates = {{Coord|35.796|N|51.384|E|display=it|source:dewiki}} | status = Operational | classification = | capacity = est. 15,000 (1983){{sfn|Abrahamian|1999|p=135}} | population = | population_as_of = | opened = {{start date and age|1972}} | closed = | former_name = | managed_by = [[Judicial system of Iran]] | director = | governor = | warden = Hamid Mohammadi<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-24 |title=Iran Prison Chief Apologizes As More Evin Abuse Footage Appears |url=https://old.iranintl.com/en/iran/iran-prison-chief-apologizes-more-evin-abuse-footage-appears |access-date=2022-10-16 |website=Iran International |language=en}}</ref> | street-address = | city = [[Tehran]] | county = | state = | postcode = | zip = | country = [[Iran]] | website = | prisoners = | embedded = }} '''Evin Prison''' ({{lang-fa|زندان اوین|Zendân-e-Evin}}) is a [[prison]] located in the [[Evin]] neighborhood of [[Tehran]], [[Iran]]. The prison has been the primary site for the housing of Iran's [[political prisoner]]s since 1972, before and after the [[Iranian Revolution]], in a purpose-built wing nicknamed "Evin University" due to the high number of students and [[intellectuals]] detained there.<ref>Inskeep, Steve. "[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12091966 Iran's Evin Prison Likened to Torture Chamber]." ''[[National Public Radio]]''. 19 July 2007. Retrieved on 8 July 2010.</ref> Evin Prison has been accused of committing "serious human rights abuses" against its political dissidents and critics of the government.<ref>[https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/05/iran-evin-prison-ansar-hezbollah-face-sanctions-180531132138656.html Iran's Evin prison, Ansar-e Hezbollah face new US sanctions] May 31, 2018</ref> ==History== Evin Prison was constructed in 1972 under the reign of [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]]. It is located at the foot of the [[Alborz|Alborz mountains]] on the former home of [[Ziaeddin Tabatabaee]], who briefly served as prime minister in the 1920s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shirazi |first=Saeed |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/A_CONCISE_HISTORY_OF_IRAN/wZrZDQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Ziaeddin+Tabatabai+prime+minister+in+the+1920s.+-wikipedia&pg=PA349&printsec=frontcover |title=A CONCISE HISTORY OF IRAN: From the early period to the present time |date=2017-01-06 |publisher=Ketab.com |isbn=978-1-59584-600-6 |language=en}}</ref> The prison grounds include an execution yard, a courtroom, and separate blocks for common criminals and female inmates. It was originally operated by the Shah's security and intelligence service, [[SAVAK]]. It was initially designed to house 320 inmates — 20 in solitary cells and 300 in two large communal blocks — and was expanded to hold more than 1,500 prisoners, including 100 solitary cells for political prisoners, by 1977.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1999|p=105}} On 11 February 1979, during the [[Iranian Revolution]], crowds of rebels stormed the prison and freed all the inmates.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Axworthy|first=Michael|url=|title=Revolutionary Iran: A History of the Islamic Republic|date=2013|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-932227-5|location=Oxford|pages=13|oclc=854910512}}</ref> Under the Islamic Republic of Iran, the prison population was again expanded to 15,000 inmates. According to scholar [[Ervand Abrahamian]]:{{sfn|Abrahamian|1999|p=135}} "In theory, Evin was a detention center for those awaiting trial", after which the prisoners would be transferred to another prison, either [[Ghezel Hesar prison|Qezel Hesar]] or [[Gohardasht Prison]]. "In reality, Evin served as a regular prison as many waited years before being brought to trial". Prominent prisoners often served their entire sentences in Evin. Executions took place at Evin.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1999|p=135}} Following the Islamic Revolution, Mohammad Kachouyi was made warden of Evin. After his assassination in June 1981, [[Asadollah Lajevardi]], the chief prosecutor of Tehran, served as warden until 1985.{{sfn|Abrahamian|1999|p=136}} In 1998, the [[People's Mujahedin of Iran]] assassinated Lajevardi.<ref>Ebadi, ''Iran Awakening'', (Random House New York, 2006), p. 91</ref> The prison is located in a residential and commercial area known as [[Evin]], next to the [[Saadat Abad]] district. A large park area with a popular upscale teahouse and restaurant is immediately next to it. Photography in front of and around the prison is illegal.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2005/nov/19/weekend7.weekend3|title=Killer images|work=The Guardian|date=2005-11-19|access-date=2010-08-27 | location=London | first=Andréa | last=Schmidt}}</ref> Prisoners from Evin and [[Ghezel Hesar prison]] are to be transferred eventually to the [[Great Tehran Penitentiary|Central Prison of Tehran]], also known as Fashafaviye or Fashafoyeh.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hra-news.org/en/prisoners-face-lack-basic-facilities-central-prison-tehran|title=Prisoners Face Lack of Basic Facilities in Central Prison of Tehran|work=Hrana - News Agency|date=5 August 2015 |access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref> Iran's judicial system is based on [[Sharia|Islamic law, or ''sharia'']]. The system is supervised by the Minister of Justice and the chief public prosecutor, appointed by the [[Supreme Leader of Iran|Supreme Leader]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=IHRDC |date=2016-10-12 |title=The Iranian Judiciary: A Complex and Dysfunctional System |url=https://iranhrdc.org/the-iranian-judiciary-a-complex-and-dysfunctional-system/ |access-date=2024-10-05 |website=Iran Human Rights Documentation Center |language=en-US}}</ref> ===2022 fire=== {{main|Evin Prison fire}} On 15 October 2022, amidst the [[Mahsa Amini protests]], a severe fire started in this prison, and the sound of security forces shooting was heard from inside the prison during numerous clashes with prisoners.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63271817|title=Evin prison fire: Gun shots and sirens heard at notorious detention centre|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=October 15, 2022|accessdate=October 15, 2022|author=Binley, Alex}}</ref> The [[Center for Human Rights in Iran]] confirmed that it had received reports that there was a "gun battle" in Evin prison Saturday night that was continuing at 22:00 local time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Large Blaze Breaks Out And Guns Fired In Tehran's Evin Prison |url=https://www.iranintl.com/en/202210150132 |access-date=2022-10-15 |website=Iran International |language=en}}</ref> Videos shared on social media on Saturday showed smoke rising from the prison. Repeated gunfire, as well as anti-government chants, could also be heard in the videos.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2022-10-15 |title=Clashes, fire erupt at Iran's Evin Prison: State media |url=https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2022/10/15/Online-videos-appear-to-show-fire-at-Iran-prison-that-holds-political-prisoners |access-date=2022-10-15 |website=Al Arabiya English |language=en}}</ref> The media affiliated to the [[Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]] and the [[Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran|government of the Islamic Republic]] reported the conflict and fire in this prison.<ref>{{Cite web |last=جهان |first=Fararu {{!}} فرارو {{!}} اخبار روز ایران و |date=2022-10-15 |title=(ویدئو) درگیری و آتش‌سوزی در زندان اوین |url=https://fararu.com/fa/news/580491 |access-date=2022-10-15 |website=fa |language=fa}}</ref> According to the Judiciary Media Center, during a fight between several prisoners in Ward 6 and Ward 7, both of which are special prisons for financial convictions and theft, the sewing workshop of the prison caught fire.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-15 |title=آخرین جزئیات از حادثه زندان اوین/ آتش‌سوزی و درگیری زندانیان |url=https://www.isna.ir/news/1401072312381/آخرین-جزئیات-از-حادثه-زندان-اوین-آتش-سوزی-و-درگیری-زندانیان |access-date=2022-10-15 |website=ایسنا |language=fa}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=جزییات ماجرای آتش سوزی زندان اوین/ منبع آگاه: زندان تحت کنترل است/ زندانیان کدام بندها با هم درگیر شدند؟- اخبار نظامی {{!}} دفاعی {{!}} امنیتی - اخبار سیاسی تسنیم {{!}} Tasnim |url=https://www.tasnimnews.com/fa/news/1401/07/23/2788624/جزئیات-ماجرای-آتش-سوزی-زندان-اوین-منبع-آگاه-زندان-تحت-کنترل-است-زندانیان-کدام-بندها-با-هم-درگیر-شدند |access-date=2022-10-15 |website=خبرگزاری تسنیم {{!}} Tasnim |language=fa}}</ref> The families of prisoners in Evin and various others gathered near the prison. Government forces threw tear gas at them in response. The security forces also blocked [[Yadegar-e-Emam Expressway]] to prevent people from approaching. Anti-government slogans can be heard in videos taken around the prison.<ref>{{Citation |title=گسترش آتش‌سوزی در زندان اوین به همراه شنیده‌شدن صدای آژیر، شامگاه ۲۳ مهر |url=https://ir.voanews.com/a/evin-prison-fire-iran-tehran-emergency/6791400.html |language=fa |access-date=2022-10-15}}</ref> ==Prisoners== ===1970s and 1980s=== Notable prisoners at Evin before the 1979 revolution include [[Mahmoud Taleghani|Ayatollah Mahmoud Taleghani]]<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Moghissi |first=Haideh |date=2009 |title=Women and the 1979 Revolution: Refusing Religion-Defined Womanhood |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/262224/summary |journal=Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=63–71 |issn=1548-226X}}</ref> and [[Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri]].<ref name="2010uscirfreport">{{Cite report |url=https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/2010%20Annual%20Report.pdf#page=65 |title=International Religious Freedom (2010): Annual Report to Congress |last=Leonard |first=Leo |date=May 2010 |publisher=[[United States Commission on International Religious Freedom]] |page=56 |access-date=2022-10-16}}</ref> A prisoner held after the Islamic revolution was [[Marina Nemat]], who spent two years in Evin starting in 1982 for participating in anti-regime protests at her school. She has written about her torture and the death of her fellow students at the prison.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1066903&site_id=1#import |title=Google Groups |publisher=Bbs.keyhole.com |access-date=2015-09-01 |archive-date=25 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090425213812/http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1066903&site_id=1#import |url-status=dead }}</ref> In her 2013 memoir, ''Face to Face with the Beast: Iranian Women in Mullahs' Prisons'', the former Iranian nurse Hengameh Haj Hassan wrote about her incarceration in Evin prison in 1981, after being arrested for suspected connections with the [[Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution of Iran Organization|Mojahedin]]. She described a system in which female inmates were frequently and systematically tortured by members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard, mostly by being beaten on the soles of their feet with cables.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Haj Hassan |first=Hengameh |title=Face to Face with the Beast: Iranian Women in Mullahs' Prisons |publisher=HOMA Association |year=2013 |isbn=978-2952171175 |edition=1st |location=France |pages=55, 60, 64 |language=English}}</ref> She also describes mass executions:<blockquote>"In Unit 209, every day about 6.00pm, at dinner time, we heard an enormous and deafening noise, like a lorry shedding a heavy load of metal... It was the discharge of tens of firearms being fired at once on our friends."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Haj Hassan |first=Hengameh |title=Face to Face with the Beast: Iranian Women in Mullahs' Prisons |publisher=HOMA Association |year=2013 |isbn=978-2952171175 |edition=1st |location=France |pages=61 |language=English}}</ref></blockquote> ===2000s=== Political prisoners of note held at Evin have included [[Akbar Ganji]] (held there from 2000 to 2006), [[Mohsen Sazegara]] (in 2003), [[Nasser Zarafshan]], [[Hamid Pourmand]] (2005–06), [[Dariush Zahedi]], a professor at the [[University of California, Berkeley]], on charges of [[espionage]] (2003), subsequently acquitted in 2004, and [[Ramin Jahanbegloo]] (2006).<ref>{{Citation |last=Cist |first=Mark |title=EvinWall |date=2008-07-31 |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/24425337@N05/2717494881/ |access-date=2024-10-05}}</ref> On 23 June 2003, [[Iran]]ian-[[Canadians|Canadian]] [[photojournalist]] [[Zahra Kazemi]] was arrested for taking photographs in front of the prison and died of blunt trauma to the head while imprisoned. The Iranian government said that she died from a stroke while being interrogated. Doctors examining Kazemi's body found evidence of [[rape]], [[torture]], and a skull fracture.<ref>''[http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/kazemi/ Indepth: Zahra Kazemi]'' CBC News Online | Updated 16 November 2005 Retrieved 25/09/07</ref><ref>[http://www.iranhrdc.org/httpdocs/English/pdfs/Reports/Impunity-in-Iran_Nov06.pdf ''Impunity in Iran: Death of Photojournalist Zahra Kazemi''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100928103817/http://www.iranhrdc.org/httpdocs/English/pdfs/Reports/Impunity-in-Iran_Nov06.pdf |date=28 September 2010 }} from the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center</ref> At dawn on 27 July 2008, the Iranian government executed a total of 29 people at Evin Prison by [[hanging]].<ref>"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7527431.stm Iran executes 29 in jail hangings]." ''[[BBC]]''. Sunday 27 July 2008. Retrieved on 14 June 2013.</ref> Iranian [[Record producer|music producer]] and [[composer]] [[Hangi Tavakoli]] was held in a solitary cell in Section 209 from December 2008 to February 2009 for the crime of "Action Against National Security" because of some of the music he had written and produced, which Iranian Government had labeled as "Brainwashing Against the Government". He had a sentence of execution, death by hanging, but due to the raising of [[human rights]] campaigns initiated by members of the public, the Iranian Justice System was pushed to reduce the sentence to 3&nbsp;months of jail time and a US$100,000 penalty, conditioned on a full stop on all his musical activities. Tavakoli became a renowned record producer who continues his work outside of Iran.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}} Esha Momeni, a student at the [[California State University, Northridge]], was held at Evin after her arrest on 15 October 2008 for crimes against national security.<ref>{{cite web |author=09012015Tue |url=http://www.iranfocus.com/en/women/iran-holds-student-living-in-u.s.-on-security-charges-16619.html |title=Welcome to Iran Focus |publisher=Iranfocus.com |access-date=2015-09-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416194547/http://www.iranfocus.com/en/women/iran-holds-student-living-in-u.s.-on-security-charges-16619.html |archive-date=16 April 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> She was in Iran to visit family and research [[women's rights]] in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE13/155/2008/en|title=Document - Amnesty International|work=amnesty.org|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde13/155/2008/en/|title=Iran: Arbitrary detention/ fear of torture or other ill-treatment: Esha Momeni (f)|website=Amnesty International}}</ref> Momeni was released 11 November 2008.<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/11/11/iran.student.released/index.html | work=CNN | title=Amnesty: Iran frees American-born grad student| date=2008-11-11 | access-date=2010-05-02}}</ref> On 17 November 2008, [[Ali Ashtari]], a computer wholesaler who provided intelligence about Iran's nuclear facilities to [[Mossad]], the Israeli intelligence agency, was executed by hanging at Evin Prison after being convicted in June 2008.<ref>[[James Bamford|Bamford, James]]. "The Secret War." ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]''. 12 June 2013. "[https://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/06/general-keith-alexander-cyberwar/2/ 2]. Retrieved on 14 June 2013.</ref> Later that same month, journalist/blogger [[Hossein Derakhshan]] was held at Evin after his arrest in November 2008, allegedly for spying for Israel. Derakhshan was sentenced to 19½ years in prison on 28 September 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5190462.ece|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240524090107/https://www.webcitation.org/5g9ySxomE?url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5190462.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 May 2024|title=Login|work=[[The Times]]|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref> [[Roxana Saberi]], an Iranian-American journalist, was arrested in January 2009 for reporting without press credentials, with a charge of espionage added in April. She was held in the Evin Prison until her release in May 2009.<ref>{{cite news|first=Nazila |last=Fathi|title=American Journalist Stands Trial in Iran|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=14 April 2009|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/world/middleeast/15iran.html?hpw}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=U.S. Reported Jailed in Iran to Be Freed Today|work=[[Fox News]]|date= 11 May 2009 |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,519721,00.html}}</ref> [[French people|French]] student [[Clotilde Reiss]] stood trial in August 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Times & The Sunday Times {{!}} 2009-08-2 |url=https://www.thetimes.com/html-sitemap/2009-08-2 |access-date=2024-10-05 |website=www.thetimes.com |language=en}}</ref> Over the years, [[Christianity in Iran|Iranian converts to Christianity]] have also been detained. On 5 March 2009, Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad and Maryam Rustampoor were [[Arrest of Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh|arrested]] by Iranian security forces and labeled "anti-government activists".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/sep/10/jailed-iranians-stand-by-god/ |title=DUIN: Jailed Iranians stand by God |work=Washington Times |access-date=2015-09-01}}</ref> The women were held at Evin Prison. On 18 November 2009, they were released without bail, but the charges remained intact.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prisoneralert.com/pprofiles/vp_prisoner_193_profile.html|title=Prisoner Alert – Marzieh & Maryam|work=prisoneralert.com|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref> In May 2010, Maryam and Marzieh were cleared of all charges.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.csw.org.uk/urgentactioniranmaryamandmarzieh.htm|title=Cleared of all charges: Maryam and Marzieh go free!|access-date=26 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100817121749/http://www.csw.org.uk/urgentactioniranmaryamandmarzieh.htm|archive-date=17 August 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Three [[Belgians|Belgian]] tourists, Vincent Boon-Falleur, Idesbald Van den Bosch, and Diego Mathieu, were detained in Evin Prison for three months in 2009. Van den Bosch and Boon-Falleur were arrested on 5 September 2009 for entering an unmarked Iranian Military Zone near Semnan. They were detained in Semnan for three days before being transferred to Evin. Mathieu was later (16 September) arrested at the Iran-Turkmenistan border because the three had met on 4 September and exchanged phone numbers. The three were accused of spying and detained for three months (8 September–8 December 2009) in Section 209 of Evin, initially in [[solitary confinement]] and then in four-person cells with other Iranians. They were released thanks to Belgian diplomatic negotiations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/01/26/iran.hikers.belgians/index.html|title=Freed Belgians cite fears for U.S. hikers in Iran |website=www.cnn.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/exclusive-prison-taking-toll-us-hikers-iran/story?id=9677062|title=Solitary Taking Toll on Americans in Iran Prison|date=2010-01-27|work=ABC News|access-date=2016-07-30}}</ref> [[Iranian-Canadian]] journalist [[Maziar Bahari]] was imprisoned in Evin for 118 days after being in Iran while there on assignment to cover the [[2009–2010 Iranian election protests|2009 Iran presidential election]]. Bahari documented his time at Evin in his memoir, titled ''[[Then They Came for Me|Then They Came for Me: A Family's Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival]]'', which was published by [[Random House]] in 2011. The memoir is the basis of the film ''[[Rosewater (film)|Rosewater]]'', which was written and directed by former ''[[The Daily Show]]'' host [[Jon Stewart]]. The film's title references the nickname Bahari gave his interrogator/torturer at Evin, based on the man's cologne.<ref>{{Citation |title=Rosewater (film) |date=2024-09-11 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosewater_(film) |access-date=2024-10-05 |language=en}}</ref> Three long-time Middle-Eastern residents, [[Shane Bauer]], Joshua Fattal, and Sarah Shourd, who were on holiday in [[Iraqi Kurdistan]] and were [[2009 detention of American hikers by Iran|detained by Iran]], were held in Evin Prison since the beginning of August 2009. Shourd was kept in [[solitary confinement]].<ref>[http://www.theworld.org/2010/07/20/mothers-continue-fight-for-release-of-iran-hikers/ "Mothers continue fight for release of Iran hikers"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100725095821/http://www.theworld.org/2010/07/20/mothers-continue-fight-for-release-of-iran-hikers/ |date=25 July 2010 }}, by ''The World'', 20 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-20.</ref> ''The Washington Post'' reported that they "were arrested in July [2009] by Iranian border guards while hiking in the mountainous [[Kurdistan|Kurdish region]] between Iraq and Iran. Their families say they crossed the border accidentally, but a top Iranian prosecutor last month accused the three of spying." In December 2009, Iran's foreign minister [[Manouchehr Mottaki]] said the three would be put on trial, in a move that coincided with other points of contention between the two countries.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/14/AR2009121400578.html "Iran intends to go forward with espionage trial of 3 Americans: Move comes week after release demand directed at U.S."], by Kay Armin Serjoie, Thomas Erdbrink and William Branigin, ''The Washington Post'', 15 December 2009. Retrieved 2010-07-20.</ref> [[Sarah Shourd]] was freed 14 September 2010, on a {{US$|500000}} bail. Two days earlier, the three Americans had been charged with espionage by Iranian prosecutors.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2010-09-14 |title=Freed US hiker Sarah Shourd arrives in Oman |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-11299867 |access-date=2024-10-05 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> Bauer and Fattal were released in September 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/22/world/middleeast/iranian-lawyer-says-2-american-hikers-hopefully-are-about-to-be-freed.html#:~:text=The%20men%2C%20Shane%20M.,to%20hug%20waiting%20family%20members. |title=American Hikers Leave Iran After Prison Release |website=nytimes.com |date=2011-09-22 |access-date=2023-10-07}}</ref> Masoud Jamali, an Iranian-American television and music producer and owner of Tapesh Television based in [[Los Angeles]], was imprisoned in Evin in 2012 for one year, charged with propaganda against Iran, and forbidden to leave Iran for three years. He was held in Section 209 of the prison for five months and was in 350 prison for seven months.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}} The prison also held members of religious minorities, including members of the [[Baháʼí Faith]] &mdash; on 14 May 2008, members of an informal body that oversaw the needs of the [[Baháʼí Faith by country|Baháʼí community in Iran]] were arrested and taken to Evin.<ref name="cnn2008-05">{{Cite news|title=Iran's arrest of Bahá'is condemned |publisher=[[CNN]]|date=2008-05-16 |access-date=2009-10-24 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/05/16/iran.bahais/}}</ref> They were held in Section 209 of the prison which is run by the government's Ministry of Intelligence.<ref name="amnesty">{{cite web| url = https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde13/066/2009/en/ | publisher = Amnesty International | title = Iran: Seven Baha'is Leaders Risk Execution | date = 2009-06-03 | access-date=2009-10-24 | author = Amnesty International}}</ref> On 11 August 2010, it became known that the court sentence was 20 years imprisonment for each of the seven prisoners<ref>Los Angeles Times. [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2010/08/iran-court-sentences-leaders-of-bahai-faith-to-20-years-in-prison.html Iran: Court sentences leaders of Bahai faith to 20 years in prison]. 11 August 2010.</ref> which was later reduced to ten years.<ref>Los Angeles Times. [https://archive.today/20120530030255/http://articles.cnn.com/2010-09-16/world/iran.bahai.sentences_1_baha-i-leaders-baha-i-religion-baha-i-international-community Sentences for Iran's Baha'i leaders reportedly reduced]. 16 September 2010.</ref> After the sentence, they were transferred to [[Gohardasht Prison]].<ref>AFP. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110215012004/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hmUiYZlJSgad9GjLQvTTeQb84Ftg?docId=CNG.b5748abd7704db4f1a2c0b99acfebc28.4d1 Families fear for Bahais jailed in Iran]. 16 February 2011.</ref> According to Roxana Saberi, the two Baháʼí women were confined in a small cell about four meters by five meters, with two little, metal-covered windows. They had no bed. "They must sleep on blankets [...] They have no pillows, either. They roll up a blanket to use as a pillow. They use their [[chador]]s as a bed sheet."<ref>{{cite web|title=Inside Evin Prison|url=http://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/yaran-special-report/feature-articles/inside-evin-prison|work=Baháʼí World News Service|publisher=bahai.org|access-date=2011-05-18}}</ref> Studying in India, Asghari was arrested in 2008 at [[Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport]] and held in custody since. [[Vahid Asghari]] had sued [[Fars News Agency|Fars News]] (IRGC media) and [[IRIB]] (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) at the fourth branch of the Culture and Media Court due to the false accusation that was attributed to him when he was in the known 350 ward of Evin 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bcrgroup.us/vahid-asghari-was-sentenced-to-18-years-imprisonment.html|title=Boroujerdi Civil Rights Group – Vahid Asghari Was Sentenced to 18 Years Imprisonment|work=bcrgroup.us|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bcrgroup.us/ignorance-of-authorities-to-vahid-asghari-s-complaint.html|title=Boroujerdi Civil Rights Group – Ignorance of Authorities to Vahid Asghari's Complaint Against IRIB|work=bcrgroup.us|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iranglobal.info/node/42505|title=افترا زنی رسانه ها و تحت فشار بودن وحید اصغری|work=ایران گلوبال|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref> ===2010s and 2020s=== [[Abdolmalek Rigi]], the leader of [[Jundallah (Iran)|Jundullah]], was executed in the prison in 2010.[[Abdolmalek Rigi]] From January to May 2010, student activist [[Majid Tavakoli]] was held in Evin, primarily in solitary confinement.<ref name="AI">{{cite web |url=http://www.amnestyusa.org/individuals-at-risk/priority-cases/iran-majid-tavakkoli/page.do?id=1181062 |title=MAJID TAVAKKOLI, IMPRISONED STUDENT LEADER |publisher=[[Amnesty International]] |access-date=17 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411152650/http://www.amnestyusa.org/individuals-at-risk/priority-cases/iran-majid-tavakkoli/page.do?id=1181062 |archive-date=11 April 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He began a hunger strike to protest the conditions of his imprisonment and was transferred to [[Gohardasht Prison]] in August 2010.<ref name="AI" /> Human rights blogger and U.S. [[National Press Club (USA)|National Press Club]] honoree [[Kouhyar Goudarzi]] served a one-year prison term in Evin in 2010 for "spreading propaganda against the regime".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/sep/30/mystery-suicide-iranian-bloggers |title=Mystery surrounds suicide of Iranian bloggers |author=Saeed Kamali Dehghan |date=30 September 2011 |work=The Guardian |access-date=1 January 2012}}</ref> On 31 July 2011, he was rearrested, and though his current whereabouts are unconfirmed, he is believed to be held in solitary confinement in Evin.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rferl.org/content/mother_of_political_prisoner_sentenced_to_prison_for_publicizing_sons_case/24431881.html |title=Mother Of Political Prisoner Sentenced To Prison For Publicizing Son's Case |author=Saeed Kamali Dehghan |date=31 December 2011 |publisher=[[Radio Free Europe]] |access-date=1 January 2012}}</ref> Iranian laser physicist [[Omid Kokabee]], who at the time of arrest was a student of [[University of Texas at Austin]], was imprisoned at Evin in February 2011 and sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment on charges of collaboration with an enemy.<ref>{{Citation |title=Omid Kokabee |date=2024-08-15 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omid_Kokabee |access-date=2024-10-05 |language=en}}</ref> [[Amir Mahdi Adib Movahed]], a journalist and dissident, was arrested in March 2017 and was transferred to "Two A" ward of Evin prison. After four months of interrogation, he was released on bail and until the end of the proceedings. He was arrested again in September, 2017 and was transferred to Birjand Central Prison. According to the judicial rulings issued by the Birjand Revolutionary Court, he was sentenced to a total of 21 years in prison on the charges of propaganda against the regime, insulting the leader of the Islamic Republic, and "disturbing the public mind".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amir Mehdi Jalayeri - Journalism |url=https://ipa.united4iran.org/en/prisoner/3735/ |access-date=2023-08-26 |website=ipa.united4iran.org}}</ref> Majid Jamali Fashi, convicted of assassinating Iranian scientist [[Masoud Alimohammadi]] and a suspected [[Mossad]] spy, was hanged on 15 May 2012 after being convicted on 28 August 2011.<ref>{{cite web|title=Iran hangs 'Mossad spy' for scientist killing|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/05/201251512483719666.html|publisher=[[Al Jazeera Arabic|Al Jazeera]] English|access-date=13 May 2013|date=15 May 2012}}</ref> [[Nasser Fahimi]], a [[Physician|doctor]] and [[human rights]] activist, was arrested by the Ministry of Information on July 20, 2009, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison by the 15th Branch of Tehran Revolutionary Court, headed by Judge [[Abolqasem Salavati]], on the charges of acting against the country's security, disturbing public opinion, insulting the leadership, and threatening the judicial authorities. Dr. [[Nasser Fahimi]] is the first figure in the political history of Iran who formally requested the Islamic Republic to revoke his [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]] citizenship due to the type of government (dictatorship).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-10-28 |title=A Glimpse Of Evin Prison, Iran's most notorious jail |url=https://iran-hrm.com/2018/10/28/iran-evin-prison-irans-most-notorious-jail/ |access-date=2024-10-05 |language=en-US}}</ref> Saeed Abedini, an Iranian-American pastor, was sentenced on 27 January 2013 to 8 years imprisonment on charges of [[evangelizing]] for his Christian faith.<ref>{{cite news |title=U.S. condemns sentencing of American pastor in Iran |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pastor-iran-idUSBRE90R00Q20130128 |work=Reuters |date=27 January 2013 }}</ref> The Obama administration secured his release in a prisoner swap in January 2016.<ref>"Swaps Pit Compassion Against Costs," New York Times, 19 January 2016</ref> Mohammad Heidari and Kourosh Ahmadi, accused of spying for [[CIA]] and Mossad, were executed in the prison on 19 May 2013 after being sentenced to death by Tehran's [[Islamic Revolutionary Court|Revolutionary Court]] for various counts of espionage.<ref>{{cite web|title=Iran hangs two men claimed to have acted as spies for Mossad and CIA|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/10067784/Iran-hangs-two-men-claimed-to-have-acted-as-spies-for-Mossad-and-CIA.html|publisher=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=20 May 2013}}</ref> [[Marzieh Rasouli]], a journalist who writes about culture and the arts for several of Iran's reformist and independent publications, was arrested in 2012 and accused of collaborating with the [[BBC]]. In 2014 she was convicted of "spreading propaganda" and "disturbing the public order". Sentenced to two years in prison and 50 lashes, she was sent to Evin Prison on 8 July 2014.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dehghan |first=Saeed Kamali |date=8 July 2014 |title=Iranian reporter sentenced to two years in prison and fifty lashes. |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/08/iran-journalist-prison-lashes-propaganda-government |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited |access-date=8 July 2014 }}</ref> [[PEN International]] has called for her "immediate and unconditional" release.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=PEN International |url=http://www.pen-international.org/newsitems/iran-journalist-and-blogger-marzieh-rasouli-imprisoned-and-facing-flogging/ |title=Iran journalist and blogger Marzieh Rasouli imprisoned and facing flogging |access-date=18 July 2014 }}</ref> [[Amir Hekmati]], veteran [[US Marine]] and an American citizen of Iranian origin, was arrested on charges of espionage in August 2011 and sentenced to execution. Amir was released by Iran as part of the 16 January 2016 prisoner swap with the United States.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lamothe |first=Dan |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2014/12/17/marine-veteran-amir-hekmati-imprisoned-in-iran-is-launching-a-hunger-strike/ |title=Marine veteran Amir Hekmati, imprisoned in Iran, is launching a hunger strike |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=2014-12-16 |access-date=2015-09-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Khan |first=Azmat |url=http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/america-tonight/america-tonight-blog/2013/9/24/jailed-in-iran-thestoryofexmarineamirhekmati.html |title=Jailed in Iran: The story of ex-Marine Amir Hekmati &#124; Al Jazeera America |publisher=America.aljazeera.com |access-date=2015-09-01}}</ref> On 5 October 2013, [[Hossein Rajabian]] Iranian filmmaker and [[Mehdi Rajabian]], a musician, were arrested by the Iranian security forces. They were held for two months in Section 2A (solitary confinement) of the Evin prison. Finally, on 22 December 2015, at Branch 28 court of the Tehran, they were sentenced to six years in prison for "insulting the sacred" and "propaganda against the state" through artistic activity, as well as a 200 million Toman (about {{US$|66650}}) fine.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions/iranian-filmmaker-sentenced-hossein-mehdi-rajabian-yousef-emadi|title=Iran: Filmmaker faces prison after three-minute trial|website=www.amnesty.org.uk|access-date=2016-04-14|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405171559/https://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions/iranian-filmmaker-sentenced-hossein-mehdi-rajabian-yousef-emadi|archive-date=5 April 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://freemuse.org/archives/11823|title=Iran: Two musicians and a filmmaker sentenced|website=Freemuse|language=en-GB|access-date=2016-04-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828030311/https://freemuse.org/archives/11823|archive-date=28 August 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2015/12/mehdi-rajabian/|title=Underground Music Distributors Await Appeal Decision for Six Years in Prison|website=International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran|date=12 December 2015 |language=en-us|access-date=2016-04-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2016/01/call-on-iranian-authorities-to-drop-charges-on-two-musicians-and-a-filmmaker/|title=Call on Iranian authorities to drop charges on two musicians and a filmmaker|website=International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran|date=15 January 2016 |language=en-us|access-date=2016-04-14}}</ref> [[Maryam Shafipour]], an Iranian human rights activist, spent seven months of pre-trial detention in Evin Prison, including more than two months in solitary confinement. Shafipour was sentenced in March 2014 to seven years in prison for her political activities. Human rights organizations have called for her release and condemned her conviction and prison sentence. She was released in July 2015.<ref>{{Citation |title=Maryam Shafipour |date=2024-01-22 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryam_Shafipour |access-date=2024-10-05 |language=en}}</ref> [[Seyed Hamed Hooriaband]] worked at the Iranian Embassy in Paris, France. Having taken the side of the people in joining protests for the [[Iranian Green Movement|Green Movement]] and the opposition in Paris at the 2009 presidential elections, he was fired, targeted, harassed, and made an example of by the Islamic Regime so none of the other diplomatic government officials' family members would dare to oppose from within the system publicly. After having his family threatened by the [[Ministry of Intelligence and National Security (Iran)|Ministry of Intelligence and Security]], he returned to Iran. In October 2011, security agents raided his parents’ home and arrested him without a charge. He was put in solitary confinement at the Evin Prison in the infamous section 240, reserved for political prisoners, where he endured [[psychological torture]] and then charged with espionage and embezzlement. Revolutionary Court judge Salavati then sentenced him without due process of the law and access to a lawyer. He was sentenced to two years in prison for espionage and one year and ten months for embezzlement. The court then acquitted him of embezzlement charges, but even though the sentence was revoked, he was unlawfully kept for another 13 months in prison and was fined in cash. He has recently been released on bail for good conduct.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hra-news.org/fa/tag/%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%AF-%D9%87%D9%88%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%AF |title=خبرگزاری هرانا &#124; » حامد هوریابند |publisher=Hra-news.org |access-date=2015-09-01}}</ref> From February to April 2018, Sufis activist [[Kasra Nouri]] during the 2018 Dervish protests was held in Evin, primarily in solitary confinement. He was later transferred to Fashafoyeh Prison,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cpj.org/data/people/kasra-nouri/|title=Kasra Nouri}}</ref> but was sent back to Evin in January 2021.<ref>{{Citation |title=Kasra Nouri |date=2024-05-16 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasra_Nouri |access-date=2024-10-05 |language=en}}</ref> [[Behdad Esfahbod]], an Iranian-Canadian software engineer, was detained at Evin Prison in January 2020.<ref name="NYTArrest">{{cite web|last1=Fassihi|first1=Farnaz|date=21 August 2020|title=He Was Iran's Homegrown Tech Star. The Guards Saw a Blackmail Opportunity.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/21/world/middleeast/Iran-technology-arrest-spy.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20210919220920/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/21/world/middleeast/Iran-technology-arrest-spy.html|archive-date=2021-09-19|website=The New York Times|access-date=2020-08-22}}</ref> Australian academic [[Kylie Moore-Gilbert]] was a prisoner here before being moved to [[Qarchak Prison]] in August 2020, although she was later moved back to Evin. She was released in November 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/australian-academic-on-hunger-strike-in-iranian-jail-20191227-p53n2j.html|title=Australian academic on hunger strike in Iranian jail|work=[[Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=2019-12-27|access-date=2019-12-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Doherty |first1=Ben |title=Kylie Moore-Gilbert's every step being followed inside prison in Iran |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/03/kylie-moore-gilberts-every-step-being-followed-inside-prison-in-iran |work=The Guardian |date=2 September 2020 |access-date=2 September 2020}}</ref> In February 2022, Belgian aid worker [[Olivier Vandecasteele]], who was working as a volunteer for [[Relief International]] in Iran, was arrested with "espionage" charges,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Demeestere |first=Matthieu |date=5 July 2022 |title=Belgian Held In Iran For 'Espionage' |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/belgian-man-held-in-iran-for-espionage-01657014007 |access-date=5 September 2023 |website=[[Barron's]] |publisher=[[Agence France-Presse]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=26 May 2023 |title=Iran e Belgio hanno fatto uno scambio di prigionieri: sono stati liberati un operatore umanitario belga e un diplomatico iraniano |url=https://www.ilpost.it/2023/05/26/olivier-vandecasteele-iran-liberato-scambio-prigionieri-belgio/ |access-date=5 September 2023 |website=[[Il Post]] |language=it-IT}}</ref> and subsequently detained at the Evin Prison.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Stevis-Gridneff |first=Matina |date=4 September 2023 |title=E.U. Official From Sweden Imprisoned in Iran for Over 500 Days |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/04/world/europe/iran-sweden-prisoners-johan-floderus.html |access-date=5 September 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=4 September 2023 |title=L'Iran tiene in carcere da più di un anno un diplomatico dell'Unione Europea |url=https://www.ilpost.it/2023/09/04/johan-floderus-iran/ |access-date=5 September 2023 |website=[[Il Post]] |language=it-IT}}</ref> After being initially sentenced to 40 years in prison for spying, money laundering and currency smuggling in January 2023,<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=10 January 2023 |title=Olivier Vandecasteele: Belgian aid worker sentenced to 40 years in Iran |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64220942 |access-date=5 September 2023}}</ref> Vandecasteele was freed in May of the same year, following a [[Prisoner exchange|prisoner swap]] with Iranian ex-diplomat [[Asadollah Asadi]].<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=26 May 2023 |title=Olivier Vandecasteele est libre : un échange avec le diplomate iranien Assadi a été effectué à Oman |language=fr-BE |newspaper=[[La Libre Belgique]] |url=https://www.lalibre.be/belgique/2023/05/26/olivier-vandecasteele-est-libre-un-echange-avec-le-diplomate-iranien-assadi-a-ete-effectue-a-oman-ZOZQMDYGJJBXZJKUYLZ7GG4QMM/ |access-date=5 September 2023}}</ref> On 28 September 2022, 30-year-old Italian [[travel blogger]] Alessia Piperno got arrested in [[Tehran]] and detained at the Evin Prison, in the midst of the [[Mahsa Amini protests]]; following diplomatic negotiations between the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italy)|Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] and Iranian authorities, Piperno was released and returned to [[Rome]] on 10 November.<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 November 2022 |title=Alessia Piperno è tornata in Italia |url=https://www.ilpost.it/2022/11/10/alessia-piperno-liberata-iran/ |access-date=5 September 2023 |website=[[Il Post]] |language=it-IT}}</ref> In October 2022, during the [[2021–2022 Iranian protests]], a riot police unit cracked down on prisoners, and a deadly fire killed at least eight people.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 October 2022 |title=L'incendio nella prigione di Evin a Teheran |url=https://www.ilpost.it/2022/10/16/incendio-evin-prigione-tehran/ |access-date=5 September 2023 |website=[[Il Post]] |language=it-IT}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://jp.reuters.com/article/iran-women-prison-exclusive-idAFKBN2RF00T|title=Exclusive-Deadly Iran jail fire erupted as police clashed with inmates, sources say|work=[[Reuters]]|date=20 October 2022 }}</ref> In November of the same year, [[Farideh Moradkhani]], a niece and a critic of [[Ruhollah Khomeini]], was arrested and taken to Evin prison.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-27 |title=Niece of Iran's supreme leader calls on other countries to cut ties with regime |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/27/niece-iran-supreme-leader-protests-farideh-moradkhani |access-date=2022-12-02 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref> In April 2023, following the murder of [[Abbas-Ali Soleimani]], the perpetrator was apprehended and captured by the [[Iranian Public Security Police]] and was taken to the torture chamber in [[Tehran]] as the suspect was tortured to death and to confess the murder of Soleimani. In September 2023, a [[The New York Times|''New York Times'']] article revealed that [[Johan Floderus (diplomat)|Johan Floderus]], a 33-year-old Swedish man who had been working as a diplomat for the [[European Union]] since 2019, had been arrested at the [[Imam Khomeini International Airport]] in Tehran in April 2022, being subsequently taken to the Evin Prison.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> ===Allegations of rape and torture=== In August 2009, President [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]] said in a live broadcast on state radio on rape and torture in Iranian prisons, "In some detention centers, inappropriate measures have taken place for which the enemy was again responsible."<ref name="Iranians Say Prison Rape Is Not New">{{cite web|url=https://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/28/iranians-say-prison-rape-not-new/|title=Iranians Say Prison Rape Is Not New|first=Robert|last=Mackey|date=28 August 2009|website=The Lede}}</ref> Following the [[2009 Iranian presidential election]] and [[2009 Iranian presidential election protests|subsequent protests]], Iranian presidential candidate [[Mehdi Karroubi]] said several protesters held behind bars had been savagely raped, according to a confidential letter to senior cleric and former President [[Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20090809-iran-defeated-candidate-karoubi-says-detainees-were-raped-jail-opposition|title=Protest prison chief jailed in alleged rape, abuse scandal|access-date=26 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100429002416/http://www.france24.com/en/20090809-iran-defeated-candidate-karoubi-says-detainees-were-raped-jail-opposition|archive-date=29 April 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Karroubi said this was a "fragment" of the evidence he had and that if the denials did not stop, he would release even more.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/world/middleeast/25iran.html|title=Reformer in Iran Publishes Account of a Prison Rape|first=Michael|last=Slackman|newspaper=The New York Times |date=24 August 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/28/opinion/28fri2.html|title=Shame On Iran|newspaper=The New York Times |date=27 August 2009}}</ref> It is said that interrogators have used rape in Iran for decades.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rferl.org/content/New_PrisonRape_Allegations_In_Iran_Bring_Practice_To_Light/1808311.html|title=New Prison-Rape Allegations In Iran Bring Practice To Light|work=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty|access-date=28 November 2015}}</ref> During the 1980s, the rape of female political prisoners was so prevalent that it prompted [[Hussein-Ali Montazeri]], Supreme Leader [[Ruhollah Khomeini|Ayatollah Khomeini]]’s then-deputy, to write the following to Khomeini in a letter dated 7 October 1986: "Did you know that young women are raped in some of the prisons of the Islamic Republic?"<ref name="Iranians Say Prison Rape Is Not New"/> Two prominent members of Iran's human rights community, the feminist lawyer and journalist [[Shadi Sadr]] and the blogger and activist [[Mojtaba Saminejad]] published essays online from inside Iran saying [[prison rape]] has a long history in the Islamic Republic.<ref name="Iranians Say Prison Rape Is Not New"/> In August 2021, a "hacktivist" group, going by the name "{{Ill|Edaalate-Ali|fa|عدالت علی}}" ({{literally|Ali's Justice}}), leaked a [[CCTV]] footage showing the mistreatment of inmates, including a Muslim cleric walking over the body of an elderly man, who was dragged across the institution by prison guards. The head of Iran's prison system, Mohammad Mehdi Haj-Mohammadi, apologized for incident.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-08-24 |title=Iran prisons chief apologises over abuse videos |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-58315816 |access-date=2022-12-02 |work=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> ==See also== {{columns-list| * [[1988 executions of Iranian political prisoners]] * [[2010 Iranian political prisoners' hunger strike for prisoners' rights]] * [[2011 executions in Iran]] * [[Human rights in Iran#Notable prisons|Human rights in Iran]] * [[Judicial system of Iran#Prison system|Judicial system of Iran #Prison system]] * [[List of prisons#I|List of prisons in Iran]] * [[White torture#Iran|White torture in Iran]] ;Other countries *[[Guantanamo Bay camp]] *[[Sde Teiman]] ;Notable prisoners * [[Zahra Bahrami]] * [[Narges Mohammadi]] * [[Nargess Eskandari-Grünberg]] * [[Nasser Fahimi]] * [[Alireza Farshi]] * [[Zeynab Jalaliyan]] * [[Kylie Moore-Gilbert]] * [[Kasra Nouri]] * [[Ali Saremi]] * [[Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe]] * Siamak Namazi *. Morad Tahbaz *. Emad Sharghi * [[Olivier Vandecasteele]] * [[Johan Floderus (diplomat)|Johan Floderus]] }} {{Portalbar|Iran}} ==References and notes== {{Reflist|2}} ;Bibliography * {{Cite book|title=Tortured confessions: prisons and public recantations in modern Iran |last=Abrahamian |first=Ervand |author-link=Ervand Abrahamian |year=1999 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-21866-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_mnrYNIVfCgC |access-date=24 December 2009}} ==External links== {{Commons category-inline}} *[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5077180.stm Inside Iran's most notorious jail], [[BBC News]] report on a visit to the prison given by a group of domestic and foreign journalists. *[https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Evin+Prison,+Tehran,+Iran&sll=35.792684,51.396275&sspn=0.016918,0.038152&ie=UTF8&ll=35.800969,51.383657&spn=0.008458,0.019076&t=h&z=16&iwloc=B Evin Prison] on [[Google Maps]] *[http://www.peykeiran.com/Content.aspx?ID=11458 Photograph of Evin prison] {{List of foreign nationals detained in Iran}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:Buildings and structures in Tehran]] [[Category:Human rights abuses in Iran]] [[Category:Prisons in Iran]] [[Category:Iranian entities subject to U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions]] [[Category:Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List]] [[Category:People killed in protests in Iran]]'