At least 10 prisoners kept in Tabriz and Urmia prisons transferred to intelligent service detain centers

Human Rights in Iran – On Wednesday, April the 1^st, 2020 at least 10 prisoners kept in Tabriz and Urmia prisons were transferred to intelligent service wards, also known as Secured Ward, either inside or outside of these prisons. The main reason for this transfer is the protests occurred in the past days by prisoners for being deprived of having access to hygiene products and disinfection and antiseptic products to prevent getting infected by Corona Virus, as well as the exclusion of them to go on temporary leave and other rights legally recognized.  

According to Human Rights in Iran quoting from Kurdistan Human Rights Channel, on Wednesday the 1^st of April, 2020 secret agents by presenting in the two mentioned prisons has transferred at least 10 prisoners kept there to either secured wards or after covering their eyes, transferred them to Intelligent Service detain centers that are kept unknown. Transferring these prisoners are the consequence of their protests for lack of access to hygiene and disinfection products such as masks or bleach in recent days and also depriving them of their rights to go on temporary leave according to the order issued by the Head of the judiciary system.
According to an informed source: “On Monday night March the 30^th, 2020 prisoners of the ward 1-2 in Urmia Central Prison for not sending them to temporary leave and the high number of infected prisoners by Corona Virus went on a protest. As soon as they started protesting tens of security guards serving in that prison attended to the entrance gate of this ward and threatened prisoners to open fire if they do not finish their protest immediately.”
This source added: “Some secret agents after coordination with the authorities of prison, especially the intelligent service representative there, to avoid developing these protests has taken 8 prisoners sentenced to death from wards 14 and 15 in Urmia Central Prison to the prison’s yard and after covering their heads, all 8 prisoners were transferred to an unknown detain center out of this prison.”
The source continued: “From Tuesday, March 31^st, 2020 the Urmia Central Prison authorities in 2 wards, namely 1-2 and 3-4 have installed mobile signal and data jammer. Security guards along with anti-riot guards are presented in isles of this prison and quash the prisoners using truncheons.”
Another source from Tabriz told us: “the last Monday, 2 prisoners kept in Tabriz Central Prison have been transferred to Security detain centers out of the prison while 4 other prisoners have been transferred to Secured ward inside Tabriz prison.”
According to this source: “Dariush Tahmasebi, who has been injured during the protests, after being released from the hospital and returned to Tabriz prison, before going to the 9th prison ward, was transferred to the secured ward along with two other prisoners Yaser Asghari and Esfandiar Vahedi to go under interrogation and up to the moment of writing this report is deprived of the right to contact their family or have visitors. Shahram Baygan and Abolfazl Saremi, two other prisoners doing their time in Tabriz prison, after being called to the office of the warden were taken by secret agents and transferred to an unknown detain center while their eyes were covered, having handcuffs and shackles on them.”
It sounds vital to mention that on March 31^st, 2020 after prisoners’ dissatisfaction all around Iran has risen and vast protests took place in different prisons, Secret and Security agents along with anti-riot guards are fully alerted, meanwhile surrounding Urmia Central Prison.
In the last weeks by spreading the Corona Virus and a large number of infected people, especially among prisoners because they have to live in groups and their deprivation to hygiene products and lack of other healthcare services and products, a huge wave of protests and dissatisfactions took place in different prisons in Iran.