“متن راستچین”

“Right-aligned text”
The conversation was about Saba Afshari.

On August 2nd, 2018, a gathering was held in Tehran to protest against the poor economic conditions, inflation, and corruption. As a result of this gathering, more than 50 people were arrested. Majid Rezaei, born in 1980, was one of the detainees who was sentenced to six months in prison by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, headed by Judge Mohammad Moghiseh, on charges of “gathering and collusion against national security” and “participating in unauthorized protests that disrupt public order.” Majid Rezaei, who was previously expelled from university and is now a motorcycle courier, has also experienced imprisonment in Kahrizak Detention Center in 2009. He has recently been released from Evin Prison after serving time in both Ward 4 of Evin and Fashafouyeh Prison. In this issue of Khat-e-Solh (Peace Line), we have interviewed this political prisoner

Please tell us about your civic activities and also the reason for your recent arrest and how you were arrested.

It is not possible to put my name on the active civil society, but my concern for creating a better world, a world free of tension and war, regardless of gender, religion and race, through raising awareness among people for humanity and especially the people of my land, started in 1976 with the monthly magazine “Faryad” from the press house in Rey city. After that, I took over as the editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine “Sokoot” which unfortunately, after the first issue was published, was closed due to the opposition of the Guidance Ministry during the dialogue of civilizations with Mr. Khatami. At that time, there was not much possibility for activity; today, thanks to the advancement of science and technology, awareness and activity have been facilitated.

To be honest, in those days I was still a supporter of reforms and believed that there was hope for them. Until I was arrested during the events of 1988 and endured one and a half months of torture in Kahrizak. Kahrizak was not a detention center, it was hell for the oppressed people who were protesting against their votes being ignored.

Last year, on the eleventh day of the month of Mordad, I was brutally beaten and arrested in the student park for protesting against high prices. After we were transferred to the police station, I was quickly taken to the hospital. Although I was given a CT scan and no injuries were found, I was completely disoriented for several days due to the blows from the security forces and the personal clothing covering my head and face.

How did the judicial and disciplinary process unfold from the time of your arrest? What was the process of your transfer to Fashafouyeh prison like?

Regarding the judicial and law enforcement process, I must say that after our arrest, we were transferred to the detention center. There were about seventy detainees there, some of whom, like myself, had been beaten during the arrest and were sitting on the bench with bloody faces and torn clothes. There was a desk in front of the room and the person in charge of filing cases for the detainees was sitting behind it. He told me to hand over my waist bag. He took it and put it next to him without giving me a receipt. Of course, as I mentioned, I was so confused that I didn’t even think to ask for a receipt. But the point is that my documents and waist bag were not safe in the security police, and I could no longer access them.

At the first ministry, they said that we would be released with a promise, but that night they transferred me and another detainee to the hospital and we stayed there until morning. In the morning, we went back to the ministry and after an hour of delay without any case being formed, they took us to Evin court and the officers kept saying that after interrogation at Evin court, we would be released.

From the point where the other person and I did not have a case, after the completion of the interrogation of all detainees, two of us were interrogated and then all were transferred to Fashafouyeh prison by bus for a 30-day supervision. However, after 45 days, they started sending the children to the Revolutionary Court and the first group that was released had been imprisoned for two and a half months.

Please share your experience during your time in Fashafouyeh with us. Also, if possible, tell us the impact of this experience on yourself.

In Fashafouye, they took our fingerprints and completed the process of issuing cards, including taking photos. Around 10 PM, we were transferred to the 11th Ward, which was a Type 1 suite. (A Type 1 suite is a local prison where people under death sentence are taken to delay their execution and not harm anyone before their execution.) It was a small hall with 9 rooms. Two of the rooms were separated from the rest by a metal bar.

One of the two rooms was empty and in the other, Soheil Arabi was imprisoned along with two murder suspects named Mohammadreza and Hamid – who were severely mentally troubled – awaiting execution.

My experience in Fashafuyeh prison was very painful. Every day was a new experience, a new story, a new mental battle. Even among the detainees, there were those whose behavior made one disgusted with any form of protest.

How do you evaluate the overall situation of Fashafouyeh as a prison? In fact, what is the situation of food, hygiene, sleeping arrangements, and segregation of prisoners based on crimes and other factors in this prison?

I must inform you about the general situation of Fashafouyeh prison, which is a large mafia. A mafia whose leaders use lawyers and authorities like chess pieces.

The suite had no facilities except for 3 toilets, one of which was completely broken and unusable, and the other two had broken water taps. Every time we used them, we would get completely wet and needed to find a shower. The suite did not have a kitchen for cooking, so if we wanted anything other than the dreaded prison lentils (which was often the only meal option), we had to buy it from a restaurant. However, buying food from the restaurant also had its own story; we had to buy extra meals for the lawyer and prison officials. In the suite, we didn’t even have a clock, and when we asked to buy a regular clock, they charged us 70,000 tomans. There was no possibility of making tea in the suite, so we had to buy a second-hand samovar for 700,000 tomans, which broke after a week and we had to spend an additional 450,000 tomans to repair it. Later

But amidst all these problems, the only positive point was that the detainees of August 11th were separated from other crimes.

Regarding hygiene, I must say that we used to live with all kinds of insects such as lice and bed bugs, and they only did one fumigation. However, hygiene items such as shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, and laundry detergent were provided to prisoners on a monthly basis. As for healthcare, we were not sent to receive any medical care, and if someone became seriously ill, they would return without any medication or treatment because the prison did not have any medication to give to prisoners. The sleeping arrangements were also like this: each room had two bunk beds where four people slept on the beds and six others slept on the floor next to each other with difficulty.

How many political and ideological prisoners are imprisoned in Fashafouyeh and how do you see the situation of these prisoners?

As the Suite block was separate from the other blocks, I do not have an accurate count of the political prisoners held in Fashafouyeh. Except for the Gonabadis, who were imprisoned in ward 6 for defending the old dervishes and Ali Tabande, who were arrested during the Muharram clashes with the prison guards, many of them were transferred to other wards after the incident to serve the rest of their sentence with prisoners of other crimes (mostly theft, mischief, and fraud).

Sohail Arabi, who was initially in a suite, was transferred to the first hall to prevent the spread of Sohail’s ideological line; where most were imprisoned for theft.

If a prisoner objects to the current situation in the prison, how do the prison officers and officials react? Is it addressed or punished?

If we objected to the conditions of the prison, our complaints were not addressed and if we insisted on our objections, we would definitely be punished. In fact, all the officials are members of a mafia gang who strongly support each other. Sometimes we witnessed blackouts where the prison warden would even beat the head of the guards, but after Mr. Fathi (the prison warden) left, Mr. Zolal (the head of the guards) would regret his actions and ban smoking, fresh air, or even the children’s store to prevent any objections.

What is the situation of drugs in terms of entering prison, circulation among prisoners, and the reaction of prison officials towards this issue?

On the first day of our doctor’s visit, he said that if anyone wants methadone, they should register. But when no one among us volunteered to buy methadone, he started advertising it and said that we should register for methadone to make the days pass faster. However, when faced with the protests of all of us, he became disappointed and left.

In addition, Hamid and Mohammadreza, the death row inmates, would use heroin during their recreation time. Of course, when they were having their recreation time, our recreation time would be cut off and we would be separated from them. They were also brought crystal meth multiple times.

In general, drugs were in the hands of the same mafia that I described to you before, and always available; but at a price almost ten times higher outside. There was also clonazepam, which the authorities brought in for health reasons and sold for 3,000 tomans per pill. The interesting point, however, is that if prison officials caught prisoners using drugs, they would file a case against them.

In your opinion, what issues should human rights organizations pay more attention to in prisons?

Unfortunately, a government that is based on dictatorship does not recognize human rights at all. In my opinion, human rights organizations should pay more attention to the unjust arrests of civil activists and their freedom. It is unacceptable for someone to be imprisoned for their beliefs, or for their protests against the management of their country. Prisons, whether good or bad, are necessary for criminals in any society, and the enforcement of laws is essential in every nation. But the question is, who are the real criminals and who should be imprisoned?

At the end, if there is any point that you did not mention, please let me know.

At the end, I must say that we had a lot of problems with prison health care. Because our cell was separated from the other prisoners, they had placed a bell under eight so that we could have access to the guard officer in case of emergency. However, some of the guard officers would turn off the bell after hearing it so that it wouldn’t bother them again. Under eight, there is a room or hallway in front of the entrance of each hall where a guard officer should always be sitting in case of emergencies such as conflicts or urgent need for health care, so that there wouldn’t be any problems; unfortunately, instead of having a guard officer present, they had only placed a bell which was mostly ineffective.

One day, one of us who was suffering from the torment of a disease, had a seizure and no matter how much we called, no one came. That day, the shift of the guard was named Chelan. We shouted for 50 people to finally come and we were able to take Yaser to the infirmary.

Thank you for the opportunity you have given us to engage in peace talks.