Nasrin Sotoudeh, Yasaman Aryani and Monireh Arabshahi are among prisoners relocated
Evin Prison authorities have transferred some of the political prisoners detained in the women’s ward of Evin to ordinary prisons.
Evin prison authorities sent Nasrin Sotoudeh to the notorious Qarchak Prison. They sent Yasaman Aryani and her mother, Monireh Arabshahi, to the Kachouii Prison in Karaj, Alborz Province.
Human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was serving her sentence in Evin Prison. Evin prison authorities called her out of the ward on Tuesday, October 20, and told her they were going to take her to hospital for her cardio and angiography operation. But they took her directly to Qarchak Prison.
On Wednesday, October 21, the Evin Prison authorities called Yasaman Aryani and her mother, Monireh Arabshahi, to meet with their lawyer. But they transferred them to the Kachouii Prison in Karaj. They were serving their 9 years and 7 months in prison for opposing the compulsory veil.
Yasaman Aryani was arrested on April 10, 2019 and taken to Vozara detention center in Tehran. Her mother was arrested the next day. They were both transferred to Ward 5 of Qarchak Prison. On August 13, 2019, they were both transferred to the women’s ward of Evin Prison.
The notorious Qarchak Prison in Varamin is the only all-women prison in Iran used for detention of women convicted of violent offences and as an internal exile for political prisoners. There is no separation of crimes in this prison and political prisoners are held along with ordinary criminals and dangerous prisoners. The sanitary conditions in this prison were dreadful even before the coronavirus outbreak. Dozens of women have lost their lives in this prison due to the outbreak.
The sanitary conditions in the Kachouii Prison is also horrible. The prison has four halls. Every hall houses more than 50 prisoners. In each hall There are two rows of metal bunk beds, each for three prisoners.
