In Iranian laws, there is no punishment of imprisonment in exile, but unfortunately a large number of prisoners in Iran are forced to endure this punishment. Prisoners in exile have been sentenced to endure this punishment in two ways:

1- Judging in the matter of combat based on a fatwa, in practice contrary to the law and religion, they interpret the punishment of exile, which is one of the punishments for the accusation of combat, as imprisonment in exile and issue a verdict. While the concept of exile is completely different from the concept of imprisonment in exile. Unfortunately, the officials of the judiciary, by supporting this judgment, enforce their illegal sentences and put pressure on their support.

2- In the regulations of the prison organization, it is explicitly stated in clause 1 of article 234 that convicts can serve their sentence in the nearest prison to their family residence upon personal request. However, in the same regulations, it is mentioned in article 233 that in cases where the detention of a convict in a local prison is against the interests of that city or province, with the approval of relevant judicial authorities and the determination of the transfer location by the General Directorate of Prisons, the convict will be transferred with the consideration of the Classification Council and the consent of the prosecutor.

According to this article, prison officials have been given the authority to exile a prisoner to another prison. This permission given to prison officials is completely against the law. They receive the permission for exile from judicial authorities without giving the prisoner any right to defense, and worse, without informing the prisoner about the matter, they suddenly exile them. My personal experience in this matter was as follows: on the morning of January 25, 2012, pager number 350 came to me and said that my exile letter had arrived at Rajai Shahr prison and I had to pack my belongings and go to Rajai Shahr; while I had no knowledge of the exile and, of course, with the follow-ups that were done, it became clear that the Ministry of Intelligence and prison officials were involved in this exile order.

Judicial rulings issued by the court are subject to appeal and retrial. The accused can also defend themselves in court. However, in the regulations of the prison organization – which is not even legal – the power of punishment is easily given to individuals without qualifications – even without the right to defense or even knowledge of the matter for the prisoner. Unfortunately, judicial officials turn a blind eye to this blatant violation of the law and some judges and court officials support it and use it as a means of settling personal scores with political and ideological prisoners.

There is also a special point about the prisoners of Rajai Shahr; after the formation of Alborz province, in an illegal action, 2 Rajai Shahr and Qazal Hasar prisons are still under the control of the Tehran province prison administration, and judicial officials and the prison organization, based on this illegal permit, even deny the exile of prisoners like me and say that Rajai Shahr prison belongs to the jurisdiction of Tehran province and you are not exiled. However, for handling cases that have arisen during imprisonment, prisoners are tried in Karaj city court and consider the reason to be the local jurisdiction of the court. An interesting example is that since the beginning of this year, the Alborz governorate has announced Fridays as holidays for all offices in the Alborz province. When protesting these contradictions to judicial officials, they do not respond and consider themselves above being accountable. Salons 10 and 12 of Rajai Shahr prison are respectively used to

Residents of Ward 12 come from all corners of Iran, from Sistan and Baluchestan to Azerbaijan and Kurdistan, from Khorasan to Khuzestan, from Golestan to Fars and Lorestan, and Isfahan and Kermanshah. Among them are people like me who have been exiled from Tehran to this place, but it feels like we are in our own city. The prison has its own problems, but Ward 12 in Rajai Shahr prison, in addition to the usual difficulties, also has its own specific challenges.

One of these problems is the issue of ventilation, which in the second 6 months of the year is 2 and a half hours daily, and in the first 6 months, one week in between, 3 hours and in another week, 4 and a half hours. The lack of ventilation and on the other hand, the ventilation problems of Hall 12, which due to security issues, its windows and air ducts are covered with metal mesh sheets with very small holes, has caused numerous health problems for the residents of this hall. Many of the residents of this hall have developed heart problems and unfortunately, there seems to be no will to change this situation.

One of the other problems in Ward 12 is the lack of telephone service. Due to this issue, the only way to get news about the prisoner and his family is through visits. Furthermore, since all the prisoners in this ward are in exile, many problems arise for the prisoner and his family. For some prisoners, this distance has caused them to be unable to hear from their loved ones for months or even years. For example, one prisoner in this ward was only able to see his parents during the 4-year furlough he was granted. During these 4 years, his elderly parents were able to come and visit him due to the long distance and difficulties of travel. Even those whose families do come to visit are happy to see their loved ones, but are always stressed. The night before the visit, this stress reaches its peak for those whose families live in distant cities. They have to travel the night before to reach Karaj, and with the state of the country’s roads

Another problem in the discussion of visits is face-to-face meetings. Since 2010, the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office has considered face-to-face meetings with political and ideological prisoners to be subject to the prosecutor’s permission, contrary to custom. For each face-to-face meeting, families must go to the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office in Arg Square and obtain a permit. Families who live in other cities must also endure the hardship of traveling to Tehran if they want to have a face-to-face meeting with their loved ones in prison. This means sacrificing 2-3 working days just to see their loved ones for a short period of time, not to mention the struggle of spending the night in Tehran and the additional costs of accommodation and food. Before Eid 2013, visits were held on Thursdays in Hall 12, but due to the closure of prisons on Thursdays, following the order of the Alborz Governorate, visits in Hall 12 were moved to Wednesdays. This change has

In the practice of prison exile, the nature of punishment has been lost and has turned into torture for the prisoner and their family. The sentence of prison exile, which is against the law and religion, instead of being a punishment, has become a means of revenge against the prisoner and their family, contrary to the principle of punishment.

The tragic incident of the death of Amir Reza (Peyman) Arefi’s mother and wife was a mirror that reflected the incompetence of the judicial officials in the face of it, and revealed the disastrous consequences of their illegal actions. The track record of the judicial officials has shown that they are quick to learn from this incident and make up for their mistakes, but the Green Movement has taught me that our only hope is our identity. Here’s to hoping for a better day to come.