Isfahan Central Prison
 | |
| Coordinates | 32°36′15″N 51°34′51″E / 32.6040935689675°N 51.58094642633987°E |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 2200 |
| Population | 8/5k |
| Managed by | the Judiciary system Prisons Organization, General Directorate of Prisons and Provisional and Correctional Measures of Isfahan Province |
| City | Esfahan |
| Country | Iran |
| Website | https://www.prisons.ir/service/Provinces/esfahan |
Isfahan Central Prison, also called Dastgerd Prison,[1] is a prison in south Isfahan, Isfahan province, Iran, on the Zobahan freeway.[1][2] There have been numerous accounts of human rights abuses against prisoners there. It is highly crowded prison, and there are plans to replace it with a new prison located outside the city.[3][4][5]
Organization[edit]
The Iranian intelligence community and Investigation police have their own wards.[1]
History[edit]
At least 230 confirmed executions occurred at the prison during the 1988 executions of Iranian political prisoners.[1]
In 2013 six prisoners attempted to escape via a hand dug tunnel measuring 23 meters.[6]
The prison has carried out capital punishment against prisoners since at least 2009, including the execution of minors.[7] The prison has been used to detain arrested protesters since 2017.[8] Multiple protests have occurred near or outside the prison to express disapproval of death sentences and prisoner mistreatment.[8]
In 2020 the United States placed sanctions on Isfahan Central Prison, alongside Zahedan Prison, due to alleged human rights abuses of "responsible for extrajudicial killings and arbitrary detention", and that Isfahan held more prisoners than it had the capacity to.[9][10] As of 2020 2500 prisoners worked outside the prison.[11]
Mahsa Amini protests[edit]
Since September 2022, when the death of Mahsa Amini incited protests across the country, the prison has served both as a holding place for arrested protesters and as a site of protest against the execution of prisoners.[12][13] There have been reports of torture against the detained protesters.[1][14]
Planned replacement[edit]
The new prison will be in the east and will be 80,000 hectares, making it three times larger than the current prison. The old building will be sold and repurposed.[3]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e "زندان مرکزی اصفهان | با ۱۸ زندانی". ipa.united4iran.org. Archived from the original on 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
- ^ "Isfahan Central Prison library کتابخانه زندان مركزي اصفهان -- Isfahan Prisons". librarytechnology.org. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
- ^ a b "جمعیت زندان اصفهان سه برابر استاندارد است". خبرگزاری مهر | اخبار ایران و جهان | Mehr News Agency (in Persian). 2017-07-09. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
- ^ "ویدئوی بازدید مجید بصیرت از زندان دستگرد اصفهان » طوفان زرد: سایت سپاهان". طوفان زرد: سایت سپاهان (in Persian). Retrieved 2023-05-18.
- ^ "دوربرگردان پل زندان شهر اصفهان در کمتر از 6 ماه ساخته می شود". تین نیوز (in Persian). 2023-06-01. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
- ^ "شش زندانی با حفر ۳۲ متر تونل، از زندان دستگرد اصفهان گریختند". رادیو فردا (in Persian). Retrieved 2023-05-18.
- ^ "UN chides Iran over juvenile executions". South China Morning Post. 2014-06-27. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
- ^ a b "Concern Growing Over Possible Execution Of Five Young Protesters In Iran". RFE/RL. 2020-07-30. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
- ^ "US imposes sanctions on Iranian and Syrian officers, citing rights abuses". Middle East Eye. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
- ^ "Iran faces fresh US sanctions for human rights abuses". Al-Mashareq. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
- ^ "۲۵۰۰ زندانی در اصفهان در بیرون از زندان مشغول کار شدند". ایمنا (in Persian). 2020-07-08. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
- ^ "Families Of Three Iranian Detainees Lead Protests As Execution Fears Grow". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
- ^ Berger, Miriam (2023-05-17). "Three protesters face death in Iran, in year of more than 200 executions". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
- ^ "Famous rapper Toomaj Salehi under torture in Isfahan Prison". Iran Human Rights Monitor. 2022-11-19. Retrieved 2023-05-18.