Tabriz prisoners forced into prostitution and drug dealing

Freedom Messenger - Tabriz Prison is one of the oldest prisons in Iran with a capacity to hold at least 2,000 prisoners but currently more than 6,000 inmates are jailed which means that it holds more than 3 times its capacity…

The food that is given to prisoners is so low in nutrition, foul and unhygienic that most prisoners have to buy their own food from the prison store with very expensive prices. Those who cannot afford this food (70 percent of prisoners) are forced to work or even wash the clothes and dishes of other prisoners to earn money. Because there is not enough washing up jobs for all prisoners who do not have money, many people are forced to make money by other means such as buying and selling mood and mind altering pills, narcotics and even prostitution…

All prisoners with various crimes including financial crimes, drug related crimes, murder, sodomy, adultery and political prisoners are kept in one place. Ordinary prisoners who are kept with criminals are in danger of various kinds of public aggression, rape, becoming addicts, etc. Eye witnesses say that from the beginning of 1390 [Persian year which started in March 2011}, four young people who were each sentenced to 3 to 6 months of prison became drug addicts in cellblock 14 and were then used as sex slaves in prison. According to unofficial research, between 60 to 70 percent of prisoners, especially younger prisoners, who were healthy when going into prison, leave prison as drug addicts.

Selling and buying narcotics is openly carried out and is very prevalent…

Prison guards and officials humiliate and suppress prisoners. Any kind of protest and even request is suppressed and prisoners are kept in the worst possible conditions (prisoners are thrown in solitary, are denied leaves, phone calls, visits and all prisoner’s rights are cut off for a long time and even up to a few months). (Committee of Human Rights Reporters in Iran – Sep. 11, 2011)