Armed Attempt by Hedayatollah Farzadi to Forcibly Transfer Political Prisoners from Evin’s Ward 4 to Greater Tehran Prison
Iran Human Rights Society – On Monday, June 23, 2025, the judiciary intends to forcibly transfer political prisoners from Evin Prison’s Ward 4 to Greater Tehran Prison using force and violence, deploying armed guards into the ward.
Reliable reports from inside Evin Prison indicate that Hedayatollah Farzadi, the prison’s warden, has stationed armed special guard forces in Ward 4 to forcibly transfer political prisoners to Greater Tehran Prison. This action, accompanied by threats, intimidation, and physical pressure, has faced strong protests from the prisoners, raising serious concerns about the potential for another humanitarian disaster in Iran’s prisons.
Forced Transfer Without Belongings and Under Armed Threat
According to received information, the Evin Prison warden, with armed guards entering Ward 4, ordered political prisoners to evacuate the ward without their personal belongings and transfer to Greater Tehran Prison. The prisoners, expressing opposition, protested against this illegal and coercive action. In response, the guard forces, threatening to use weapons and apply violence, are attempting to enforce the transfer by force.
Ward 4: Home to Hundreds of Political Prisoners
Ward 4 of Evin Prison is one of the largest political wards in the facility, and according to reports, over 400 prisoners are held in its four halls. The sudden and unprepared transfer of such a large number of prisoners to one of the country’s most dangerous prisons (Greater Tehran Prison) has been described by human rights activists as an inhumane and hazardous act.
Concerns Over Violent Suppression
The recent actions of Hedayatollah Farzadi and the deployment of armed forces in Ward 4 have heightened the likelihood of widespread violence and physical suppression of prisoners. Farzadi’s history and allegations of his involvement in previous suppressions have doubled concerns about the safety of political prisoners.
Urgent Call for Intervention by Human Rights Organizations
In response to this event, families and civil organizations have urgently called for the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran, and international institutions to intervene to halt this dangerous action and protect the lives of political prisoners.
They emphasize:
“In a situation where the country is in a critical state, the slightest neglect of the condition of political prisoners could lead to an irreparable disaster.”
Human Rights Violations Through Forced Transfer to Greater Tehran Prison
Hedayatollah Farzadi’s action, as Evin Prison warden, in forcibly and without prior notice transferring hundreds of political prisoners from Ward 4 to Greater Tehran Prison, under armed threat, using special armed guards, and preventing them from taking personal belongings, constitutes a clear violation of the following human rights provisions:
Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR):
Prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.
Deploying armed special guards, threatening with weapons, and forcing prisoners to leave without belongings constitute degrading treatment and severe psychological pressure.
Article 9 of the ICCPR:
Right to liberty and security of person.
Forcibly transferring political prisoners without a judicial order and under threat is a clear violation of this fundamental right.
Article 10 of the ICCPR:
Humane treatment of prisoners.
Depriving prisoners of personal belongings and forcibly transferring them to a prison with poor conditions contradicts the principle of dignified treatment of prisoners.
Principle Against Forced Internal Transfer or Exile (International Customary Law):
The unlawful and collective transfer of political prisoners, without consent and under intimidation, constitutes forced transfer, which conflicts with fundamental rights.
UN Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners (Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment):
The requirements to uphold human dignity, inform families, and ensure the health and safety of prisoners have been violated.
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