Transfer in prison is considered one of the most distressing experiences for an inmate, and the longer an inmate stays in a prison, the more distressing the transfer becomes – regardless of the destination. In fact, it can be even more distressing than one of the systematic abuses that are planned for prisoners, such as transferring from one inmate to another or from one ward to another.

Regarding the transfer of Rajai Shahr prisoners, it is important to note that in this prison, there are several groups of prisoners with different crimes (from prisoners related to public crimes such as drug offenses or murder, to political crimes such as government opponents and security crimes such as individuals involved with or cooperating with ISIS). The transfer from Rajai Shahr prison is done based on the type of crime to Evin or Greater Tehran prisons and their different wards. It is possible for political prisoners to be transferred to Evin prison, but prisoners like Reza Norouzi and Meysam Dehbanzadeh have been transferred to the Greater Tehran prison without considering the principle of separating crimes. It is also possible for public prisoners to be transferred to the Greater Tehran prison, but the location for transferring security prisoners has not yet been determined.

Regarding the facilities for welfare, hygiene, and education, these facilities vary in different prisons and even within different wards of the same prison. For example, the living conditions in Ward 7 of Evin prison (before the Evin uprising and the destruction and evacuation of Ward 7) were very different from Ward 8 of Evin; despite being less than 20 meters apart, the density of prisoners in Ward 7 was several times higher than Ward 8 and the hygiene, welfare, and educational facilities were significantly lower compared to Ward 8, to the point where we could say that Ward 7 had no basic living facilities. This is also true for other prisons and different wards within them. Therefore, we cannot ask a single question such as “Does transferring prisoners from Rajai Shahr improve their living conditions or not?” and give a single answer. To reach a more accurate answer, we must examine and compare the source ward, prison, and destination ward.

If we want to compare Rajai Shahr prison with other prisons, we must first mention a few points. The density of prisoners in Rajai Shahr prison is very low and it can be said that the prison is relatively empty. This is a very positive point in this prison, as it allows prisoners to use educational facilities in peace and take advantage of them. However, alongside this, the low population also leads to a decrease in various facilities in this prison; in such a way that the prisoners’ facilities are provided by a section of the prison called the “store”. Now, for example, if a ward has a population of one hundred people and ten people have a request for a specific item, the store will provide that item due to high demand. But if a ward has only twenty prisoners, naturally fewer requests will be made to the store or the prison, and as a result, there will be less facilities. Apart from this, the phones and bathrooms in most wards of Rajai

In conversations I had with Rajai Shahr prisoners, they believed that if they were transferred to Ward 4 or Ward 8 of Evin Prison – considering that these wards are mostly occupied by political prisoners who have been working to improve the conditions for years – they would have better living conditions (although they were generally not willing to be transferred due to the difficulties and adapting to a new environment). However, if they were transferred to Ward 6 of Evin or the former Ward 350, their living conditions would not change significantly. They also believed that if they were transferred to the Great Tehran Prison, their living and welfare facilities would significantly decrease compared to Rajai Shahr Prison. Considering that non-political prisoners are also transferred to the Great Tehran Prison, their situation becomes even worse and their access to various facilities decreases significantly compared to their current prison. Due to the lack of access and reflection of their problems and conditions in various news and media outlets, and the society’s lack of attention to

Finally, it should be mentioned that in recent weeks, there have been more executions in the city of Rajai Shahr and some prisoners have been transferred. These transfers, in the first stage, like any other forced transfer, cause distress for the prisoners and in the second stage, if added to the existing wards, will lead to an increase in overcrowding and a decrease in various facilities, as well as the spread of various diseases. Furthermore, in the case of establishing a new ward and transferring these prisoners to it, due to the newness of the ward, there will be limited welfare and living facilities.