Social Activists Beaten in Tabriz Prison

HRANA News Agency – A number of social activists have been beaten and battered by Iranian security forces in Tabriz Prison. These individuals were arrested in recent weeks following demonstrations to save Lake Urmia.

According to a report by Daneshjoo News, 110 activists have been arrested following protests against Iranian government policies towards Lake Urmia. These detainees are in poor physical condition and have been transferred to the quarantine ward of Tabriz Prison due to lack of space in detention centers. Latest reports indicate that a number of social activists have been beaten and battered by security forces in prison. Those beaten are activists who were arrested on August 24, 2011 in Tabriz while they broke their fast during Ramadan with an evening meal called Iftar.

Currently, 110 social activists are kept behind bars in the quarantine ward of Tabriz Prison under substandard, inhuman conditions.

Ghader Norouzi, Vahid Ali Mardai and Farzad Mahdavi have been severely injured during these beatings, and concerns have been raised about their wellbeing. In response to a complaint filed by these social activists against security agents responsible for the beatings, all three of them have been transferred to the Intelligence Agency’s detention center where no news of them may be obtained.

Ghader Norouzi, Vahid Ali Mardai and Farzad Mahdavi together with 26 other social activists from Azerbaijan were arrested on August 24, 2011 in Tabriz during an Iftar gathering.