The "Black Hole" of Karaj: Inmate Describes Harrowing Prison Conditions

Saeed Masouri, a political prisoner who has spent 23 years behind bars, wrote a letter from Ghezelhesar prison in Karaj, near Tehran, in which he describes the facility as a "black hole" where inmates are denied the most basic amenities.

"They lack even the bare essentials. There is no access to water, food or decent clothing," wrote Masouri, who was among a group of 13 prisoners recently transferred from Tehran’s Evin prison to Ghezelhesar.

"They stuffed 15 to 16 people into a nine-meter cell with no rights to protest [abuse]," he added. 

According to Masouri, the prison conditions are so dire that even the prison staff give their meals to the inmates.

“Under the guidance of the supreme leader [Ali Khamenei] and with the connivance of a criminal, [judiciary head Gholamhossein Mohseni-] Ejei, people of all ages are cast into this abyss and consumed by the flames of their crimes."

On September 3, the authorities transferred Masouri and 12 other prisoners to Ghezelhesar prison without prior notice and without giving any reason. 

Human rights sources reported the next day that the prisoners initiated a hunger strike to protest the move and the "inhumane” conditions at the facility. 

Dozens of other inmates have joined their protest action.

The judiciary has recently closed Rejaeeshahr prison in Karaj and relocated a significant number of inmates held there to Ghezelhesar.