According to information obtained by Hana Human Rights Organization, the conditions in Orumiyeh Central Prison are extremely critical in terms of prisoners’ rights, lack of sanitary facilities, and mistreatment of inmates. Hana has previously highlighted the inhumane conditions of this prison—one of Iran’s most notorious detention centers—in multiple reports.
Based on available information, the prison’s hygiene situation is alarming. The showers and toilets are located inside extremely small and cramped compartments, and food containers are washed in these same unhygienic areas. Poor ventilation and the lack of any cooling system, particularly in hot seasons, have led to the spread of various diseases among prisoners. Additionally, the transfer of sick inmates to the prison infirmary is rarely carried out, and they face a severe shortage of medical care and treatment facilities.
Political prisoners face extreme security pressures, with their ward being highly isolated. CCTV cameras are installed above every bed, and in rare cases where a critically ill prisoner is transferred to a hospital, it is done only with handcuffs and shackles, despite the absence of any legal requirement for such measures.
According to informed sources, widespread corruption and abuse of power in Orumiyeh Prison are not limited to prisoners but also extend to their families. In multiple cases, prison officials have sexually harassed prisoners’ wives and proposed illicit relationships. High-ranking officials directly involved in these violations include Prison Director Peyman Khanzadeh, Deputy Directors Karimzadeh and Azariyon, and Supervisory Judge Amir Javan, who actively participate in these abuses, as well as the violent and inhumane treatment of prisoners by special guard units, who brutally beat inmates.
Moreover, drug trafficking inside the prison is facilitated by security officers. Recently, an inspection officer named Shirzad, responsible for the first security checkpoint, was caught attempting to smuggle 300 grams of methamphetamine into the prison. He was arrested by a special unit dispatched from Tehran on a surprise inspection. The price of meth inside the prison reportedly reaches 6 million tomans per gram, while mobile phones are bought and sold for between 150 and 200 million tomans each.
Hana Human Rights Organization expresses grave concern over these inhumane conditions and calls for an independent international investigation into the situation in Orumiyeh Central Prison, particularly regarding the political prisoners’ ward.