The number of political prisoners has been increased dramatically in Iran following the post-election protests which targeted the Islamic Republic establishment. Azam Taleghani, head of the Society of Islamic Revolution Women of Iran, has written a letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and urged him to review the behavior of jailers against prisoners.
“Unfortunately we have seen many mistreatments against political prisoners and their families in Iran. Why the judicial system of Iran allows jailers to do what they like with these prisoners.” said Azam Taleghani, former member of the Iranian parliament. She is a well-known figure for her role in toppling the Shah regime on 1979. She was jailed by Pahlavi during those years.
Abolfazl Ghadyani, veteran political activist who was jailed in Evin Prison, compared the manners of Islamic Republic’s agents with the members of Savak before Revolution. “The treatments of IRGC and Intelligence agents are worse than Savak’s members. We ask the ruling party to respect the rights of political prisoners in Iran.” Savak had detained and tortured Ghadyani for his political activities against Shah before 1979.
Evin Prison, which is located in Tehran, is the main jail for political prisoners established by Islamic Republic after the 1979 Revolution.
The Iranian government usually deny these claims but in August 2009, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad commented in a live broadcast on the state radio on rape and torture in the Iranian prisons and said; “In some detention centers inappropriate measures have taken place for which the enemy was again responsible”.