Information, topic by topic, on prisons across the world

June 18, 2026

Iran : former prisoners describe beatings and denial of medical care in Ghezel Hesar Prison

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Asia Torture Violence Iran

Former inmates of Suite 35 at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj have provided HRANA with accounts alleging the systematic mistreatment of prisoners, including physical assaults, the use of pipes as instruments of corporal punishment, denial of medical care, and the transfer of injured detainees to the f…

April 19, 2026

Iran: 20 political prisoners transferred from Evin Prison, denied contact with families

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Crises Asia Facilities Social ties Iran

According to a report by the Voice of Prisoners in East Kurdistan and Iran, 20 political prisoners have been transferred from Evin Prison to Ghezel Hesar Prison over the past few days, and all contact with their families has been severed.

April 10, 2026

Iran: the bodies of six executed political prisoners have still not been returned to their families

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Crises Asia Death penalty Social ties Iran

Their families, expressing deep concern, have called for transparent information regarding the fate of their loved ones.

March 20, 2026

Iran: clashes in Chabahar prison following protest over food ration cuts; more than ten incarcerated people injured

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Asia Health Material conditions Facilities Protest Iran

During the protest, a number of incarcerated people gathered in the prison yard and refused to return to their wards, objecting to detention conditions, lack of facilities, and the unsafe environment caused by recent developments in Chabahar.

March 17, 2026

Iran: Israeli airstrike on prison declared a war crime in new UN report

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Crises Asia Justice Health Facilities Iran

Tehran’s Evin prison was struck by Israel last June, leading to a UN investigation.

March 11, 2026

Iran: mounting pressure on incarcerated people, shortages of water, food, and medical care

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Asia Health Material conditions Overcrowding Social ties Iran

Reports indicate shortages of suitable drinking water, reductions in the quantity and quality of food, limitations on the operation of prison stores, shortages of medication, and a decline in medical services.

March 9, 2026

Iran: January protesters held in harsh conditions at Mashhad’s Vakilabad prison

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Asia Minors Health Material conditions Overcrowding Iran

According to information obtained by IranWire, individuals detained during the January protests in Mashhad are currently being kept in harsh and deteriorating conditions inside Vakilabad Prison.

March 3, 2026

Iran: Tehran’s Evin prison falls under special forces control as officials flee

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Crises Asia Material conditions Iran

Tensions are mounting inside notorious Evin Prison in Tehran after reports emerged that the facility has been taken over by a police special unit, with prison authorities abandoning the site.

February 23, 2026

Iran: at least 10 incarcerated individuals executed on drug-related charges and murder

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Asia Drugs Death penalty Iran

At dawn today, the death sentences of at least 10 incarcerated individuals were carried out in the prisons of Gorgan, Qaemshahr, Dorud, Isfahan, Neyshabur, Kerman, Kashan, Saveh, Quchan, and Zanjan.

February 10, 2026

Iran: execution of 14 incarcerated individuals, including Afghan nationals across six facilities

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Asia Foreign prisoners Death penalty Iran

The Iranian judiciary executed 14 incarcerated individuals, including three Afghan nationals and three Gilak men, across facilities in Ahvaz, Arak, Gorgan, Taybad, Yazd, and Shiraz on charges of “premeditated murder” and drug-related offences.

January 27, 2026

Iran: 19 incarcerated people executed in nine cities

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Asia Death penalty Iran

At least 19 incarcerated people were executed in prisons in Yasuj, Tabriz, Ardabil, Khorramabad, Khomein, Dezful, Karaj, Semnan, and Shiraz.

December 5, 2025

Iran: behind Evin's walls, political prisoners wage desperate hunger strike for basic rights

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Crises Middle East Access to legal rights Health Social ties Iran

Taher Naghavi, an imprisoned lawyer who once represented political prisoners and families seeking justice, began his hunger strike on October 27 after prison authorities rejected his request for medical furlough.

November 19, 2025

Iran: political prisoner dies in custody with signs of beating

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Middle East Health Torture Violence Iran

A political prisoner from northern Iran died in custody one week after his arrest, with witnesses reporting visible bruising and signs of beating on his body.

November 17, 2025

Iran: water cuts at Tehran prison create unsanitary conditions, rights group says

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Middle East Health Material conditions Overcrowding Iran

Extended water cuts at Fashafoyeh Prison in Tehran have created several health problems for incarcerated people as the capital implements water rationing, a human rights organization reported.

October 14, 2025

Iran: British incarcerated person moved after prison deaths

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Crises Women Middle East Health Material conditions Overcrowding Violence Iran

A British incarcerated person in Iran has been moved from one prison to another following the deaths of fellow incarcerated people and hunger strikes.

October 13, 2025

Iran: prison limits phone access for political prisoners

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Crises Middle East Access to legal rights Social ties Iran

Political prisoners at Qezvin Prison have had their phone access restricted to two hours per day, reportedly without the prison director’s knowledge, according to information obtained by IranWire.

October 8, 2025

Iran: deaths of incarcerated people reignite calls for closure of "uninhabitable" women's prison

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Women Middle East Health Material conditions Overcrowding Iran

In a desert outside Iran’s capital, Tehran, lies one of the largest women’s prisons in the world. Several thousand women are believed to be incarcerated in Qarchak Prison, which is notorious for severe overcrowding, poor sanitation, and inadequate medical care.

October 3, 2025

Iran: baluch incarcerated person dies in jail after being denied medical care

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Middle East Health Drugs Iran

A Baluch incarcerated person died in a jail after authorities repeatedly denied him medical treatment for kidney disease, according to human rights organizations.

September 29, 2025

Iran: political prisoner begins hunger strike over imprisoned women conditions

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Crises Women Middle East Health Material conditions Social ties Iran

Political prisoner Mehdi Farahi began a hunger strike to protest the death of a female political prisoner and conditions for women at Qarchak Prison.

September 22, 2025

Iran: a woman falls into coma after months of seizures in prison

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Crises Women Middle East Health Iran

A 42-year-old Iranian political prisoner has fallen into a coma after suffering months of epileptic seizures in prison.

September 17, 2025

Iran: political prisoners file complaints over theft by prison warden

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Middle East Justice Iran

Political prisoners from Evin Prison have filed lawsuits against a prison warden for stealing their personal belongings during transfers.

September 12, 2025

Iran: power outage in prison creates crisis conditions

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Crises Middle East Health Material conditions Facilities Iran

A 21-hour power outage at Sheiban Prison left incarcerated people in critical condition during extreme heat, human rights sources reported on Thursday. Power was cut from 9 p.m. Tuesday to 6 p.m. Wednesday as temperatures in Ahvaz exceeded 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).

September 1, 2025

Iran: three incarcerated people executed in Urmia prison

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Middle East Death penalty Iran

The death sentences of three incarcerated people previously convicted of murder in separate cases were carried out in Urmia Prison.

August 25, 2025

Iran: six incarcerated people transferred to solitary confinement for execution

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Middle East Drugs Death penalty Social ties Iran

On the morning of Monday, August 25, six imprisoned persons in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, all previously sentenced to death on drug-related charges, were transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for their executions.