On August 2, 2018, a gathering was held in Tehran in protest against the deteriorating economic conditions and corruption, resulting in the arrest of over 50 people that day. Saba Kord Afshari, 20 years old, and Yasaman Aryani, 23 years old, are two of the detainees who were sentenced to one year of imprisonment by Branch 28 of Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Moghiseh. The women have experienced imprisonment in the Vazirabad Detention Center, Qarchak Prison, and the women’s ward of Evin Prison. In this issue of Khatt-e-Solh, we have interviewed these two political prisoners who were recently released on the occasion of February 22 and asked them about the prison conditions, problems and injustices they faced, and their experience with the amnesty that was granted to them.

Saba Karde Afshari and Yasaman Aryan, while not satisfied with their release through amnesty and considering it a show, talk about the dire conditions of Qarchak prison in their peace talks.

Tell us about your experience of being arrested and what you gained during the time you were in prison. Did this arrest change your perspective on the human rights situation in Iran?

Yasmin Aryan:

The day we were arrested, an elderly woman in the middle of the main square of the city’s theater was talking about the problems of students, economic situation, and unemployment. The crowd was not very large. But suddenly, a large number of people attacked that woman and I saw them taking her and some others with them. The only thing that came to my mind at that moment was that I should not let that woman be arrested, so I grabbed her hand and pulled her back. This reaction caused me to be arrested as well.

From the very beginning, I witnessed lawlessness. When I was in the ministerial detention center, I heard them say that they had no permission to arrest us. That’s why we were delayed for a few hours until our fate was determined and we could see what decision they would make for us. They didn’t even have permission or a warrant to take our mobile phones. In fact, everything was rushed on that first night at the ministry.

During my imprisonment, I came to the conclusion that one of the biggest groups that are being oppressed are prisoners of conscience. This is because most of these individuals are not involved in political issues and are simply living their lives. However, they end up in prison because they do not worship the god that has been dictated to them. For example, Negar Ghodsiyan was a literature professor at the Baha’i University and when she and her husband tried to leave the country, she was arrested at the airport and sentenced to 5 years without even seeing a judge.

Saba Kard Afshari:

On August 11th, following a pre-announced call, we went to Valiasr Square to protest against the high cost of living. A crowd had gathered to protest, but there were significantly more officers and plainclothes individuals present. The crowd had not yet chanted any slogans and there was no specific protest taking place when suddenly the officers attacked and arrested us with violence and beatings. They took us to the Ministry and treated us with great disrespect. The next day, we were taken to Evin Interrogation Center, where the interrogator, Mr. Shah Mohammad, gave us a paper and told us to sign it. Without giving us time to read the paper, we signed it; but later we realized that, according to the clause mentioned in the paper, we had waived our right to bail. After that, we were transferred to Garchak Prison.

Before going to prison, I was following the news and the situation of prisoners and those who work for human rights. I always thought that these human rights activities have led to a slight improvement in the situation of prisons. However, when I saw the situation of prisons up close – especially in Qarchak – I came to the conclusion that in Iran, we only have the name of human rights. In fact, in Iran, there is no regard for human rights, let alone in prisons.

You mentioned being spontaneous, please elaborate a little more on this.

Yasmin Aryan:

Yes, in my opinion this was a show. Because they want to show their good face in international communities. They want to say that we are granting amnesty to political prisoners and those who speak against us. We were only 2 months away from the end of our sentence when we were released; and that too at 10 pm so that there wouldn’t be any gathering or protest in front of the prison. Meanwhile, Maryam Akbari Monfared has been in prison since 2009, with a 15-year sentence and she still has to remain in prison. If they are going to grant amnesty, it should be given to Maryam Akbari Monfared. They grant amnesty to us who only had 2 months left, but for Atena Daemi and Golrokh Iraee they are filing new cases to keep them in prison. Or for example, Fatemeh Mosana should have been released according to their own laws, but they want to keep

On the other hand, they forgave us because the media was saying a lot about us anyway. They did not grant the same forgiveness to the boys who were detained with us and are not well known. Even though we were all detained in the same place on the same day, they are still in Fashafoyeh and in those bad conditions.

Saba Karde Afshari:

Unfortunately, I have to say that during the short period of time I was in detention and prison, events occurred that made me completely pessimistic about the behavior of the officials. As a result, I am so pessimistic towards them that I consider the worst possible scenario and see this amnesty as a mere show. Myself and two other friends who were sentenced to less than a year in Evin’s women’s ward were granted amnesty. However, we are not satisfied with this amnesty at all; because we have prisoners in this ward like Mrs. Maryam Akbari Monfared who have not been granted even a day of leave in the past 10 years and have forgotten what the streets look like. This amnesty should include the situation of these prisoners.

On the other hand, the children who are in prison have no interest in being included in the Leader’s pardon or the February 22 pardon. They just want to serve their sentence without any manipulation or re-investigation and be released. For example, during the time I was in the women’s ward, permanent charges were brought against Atena and Golrokh Ebrahimi. We hope that they will be acquitted of these new charges, but if not, it will add several more years to their sentence, which is truly painful.

The main issue, in my opinion, is that with these types of pardons, they want to present a good image of themselves in the international community.

How did the process of arrest and imprisonment affect you? As a woman, what additional challenges did you face?

Yasmin Aryan:

Honestly, I think the psychological pressure that existed on us also exists on men. For example, I don’t think the situation in Fashafuyeh prison is any better than Qarchak, and the boys who were detained with us have a better situation there. The only issue that may be mentioned separately is related to physiological differences in women. For example, even though I was only in Qarchak for 75 days, I experienced physical problems and my period stopped during that time.

Saba Kard Afshari:

See, I believe that the one-year sentence was a very heavy punishment for participating in a gathering. Their goal was to scare young people and their families from taking any action. However, I am very happy that I was arrested on that day and received such a sentence; because it made me and my family gain courage. We have become braver than before and will no longer remain silent against their actions.

On August 2nd, I was arrested with my fiancé and taken to Fashafoyeh. Based on the information I have and what he has told me, I believe the conditions there are better than Garchak. In fact, the problems that male prisoners face, such as mistreatment, food, hygiene, and prison conditions, are similar to those of female prisoners.

In Qarchak prison, what were the most important problems faced by female prisoners and how did this prison differ from Evin prison?

Yasmin Aryan:

In Garchak prison, I witnessed various violations of human rights and problems; both in terms of hygiene, nutrition, and the space that a prisoner should have access to. For example, many women suffered from digestive or stomach problems, while they did not have such problems before being imprisoned. Also, prisoners are not allowed to bring clothes from outside. Mr. Mohammadi, the prison warden, has opened a store in the prison where he sells the lowest quality clothes at the highest prices, and prisoners can only buy clothes from there for themselves. I once talked to him about this and asked what the fate of someone who has no deposit is, and what should this prisoner do in hot or cold weather? His answer was that we check their account printout, and if their deposit is zero, we allow them to bring clothes twice a year (in hot and cold seasons). This is while it is impossible for a prisoner to have no deposit at all. However, there were many prisoners

But the most important issue, in my opinion, was that they treated prisoners in a way that they had no awareness of their rights. It was as if the prisoners had no sense or feeling of living. What I heard a lot in that prison was, “It’s just a prison!” Yes, it was a prison, but even in that place, prisoners should have had their rights and should have demanded them. In Evin prison, at least the prisoners had preserved their identity and were aware of their rights.

On the other hand, something that is very common in Garchak Prison is an issue called “mate game”. It means that when you enter the cell, one of the prisoners comes to you, looks at you and says that you are now my wife! This is while you have no choice and cannot say no; if you say no, it is not clear what trouble they will bring upon you afterwards. Let me give you an example. A few years ago, one of the prisoners in this prison, who was sentenced to 3 years in prison for drug-related crimes, killed someone in prison because of his “mate”. I also heard a lot of female prisoners threatening to “kill him and serve his sentence”! In fact, nothing mattered to them.

Saba Karde Afshari:

In Evin prison, there was a separation of crimes and female prisoners were responsible for many issues themselves. However, in a prison like Garchak where there is no separation of crimes, there were many more problems. For example, someone who is addicted cannot control their behavior. Also, during our first month in Garchak prison, we had no day or night and we couldn’t sleep out of fear that something bad might happen to us or that drugs might be hidden under our beds.

In terms of hygiene and nutrition, the conditions were much worse. For example, the quality of food in Qarchak prison was terrible. Cooked rice was full of insects that are found in dry rice, and prisoners would find worms in their vegetable stew. We reported these issues to Mr. Mohammadi, the prison warden, but he shamelessly told us that prisoners themselves put these insects or worms in the food! Officials claim that the food is prepared with caution and sterilization for you! On the other hand, in order to reduce prisoners’ sexual desire, they would add citric acid to the food, which I believe was excessive. As a result, many women who have been in that prison for a long time have developed hormonal problems or even cancer.

Another issue was that there is essentially no silence in Qarchak prison and at night, prisoners are forced to sleep under bright lights. This can really affect the prisoners mentally. Alternatively, in the mornings, officials would give messages to the prisoners through the prison loudspeakers that would really anger them. They claimed to be trying to boost the prisoners’ spirits with these messages, but their messages were full of humiliation.

“We were in cell 6 of Garchak prison, which compared to the other prisoners, had a better situation. However, for example, the mothers’ cell in Garchak prison, which is where pregnant women or those with infants and young children are held, had extremely terrible conditions. We expected at least for the children to be provided with proper nutrition or for some toys to be provided for them. But in reality, there was nothing.”

What were the problems that you had in Evin women’s ward?

Yasmin Aryan:

In Evin prison, most of the problems were related to phones, rations, and visits of some prisoners. On the other hand, Mr. Chaharmahali, the head of Evin prison, was very harsh with a few prisoners like Athena Daeemi and Golrokh Iraee. Therefore, he always tried to create tension and as a result, take away some of our facilities or privileges.

Saba Karde Afshari:

When we entered Evin prison, we were allowed to make phone calls for about 60 minutes per week. Two months after our transfer to Evin prison, Mr. Chaharmahali, the prison warden, had sent a message to the staff to inform us that our phone calls would be cut off. After a week, they implemented this decision and reduced our phone call time by half. This was bearable for me as a young girl, but for prisoners whose children were outside the prison, it was really difficult that they could only talk to them for 10 minutes once a week.

What issues do you think exist in prisons that human rights organizations pay less attention to?

Saba Kard Afshari:

I believe that human rights activists in Iran have focused more on political prisoners and have very little attention towards prisoners with ordinary crimes. I have seen the problems of these prisoners up close and it was truly heartbreaking for me. For example, we had prisoners in Gohardasht prison who were sentenced to death on charges related to drugs and considering the time they were arrested, they had received the death penalty. This is while this law has recently changed and they should not be executed according to current laws. However, every morning when they were woken up or heard their names from the prison loudspeaker, they thought that their sentence was going to be carried out. In fact, they were being killed and brought back to life every day.

Did drugs and addiction exist in Garchak prison? If so, did you see sufficient confrontation and approach by the prison officials towards drugs?

Yasmin Aryan:

During the time we were there, we realized that there was glass in one of the cells (cell 5). I personally did not witness this issue, so I cannot make a definite statement, but the prisoners said that one of the staff members had brought in the drugs. The prison officials also addressed the issue after all the glass had been removed from the prisoners, and came to investigate, although I believe it was a bit late! Anyway, we heard that drugs were occasionally brought into the cells.

There were also many addicted prisoners. For example, during the time I was in prison, they transferred a woman from the river to there. In fact, they had not taken care of her or her situation, and there were no facilities for treatment in Ghorcheh. These people could only take methadone.

Saba Karde Afshari:

Unfortunately, the authorities have mistaken Garchak prison for a detox camp. Women who are addicted are directly arrested from the streets and transferred to Garchak. This is while these individuals do not have suitable conditions to be in prison and truly need treatment and rehabilitation. I have even encountered several prisoners who I was afraid to touch when I went to see them because I thought they were dead. In reality, they were in such a bad condition that they didn’t even have vital signs.

Regarding drugs, aside from crystal meth that we witnessed being smuggled in and consumed by prisoners, I must also mention the presence of alcoholic beverages. Of course, by alcoholic beverages, I don’t mean first-class or normal drinks; rather, prisoners would make their own drinks out of anything that contained alcohol – like cleaning products. When they would consume these drinks, they would become very sick and lose control; however, even in such conditions, the authorities not only wouldn’t transfer them to the hospital, but they wouldn’t even remove these substances from their reach to prevent them from consuming them again. Essentially, some prisoners would use these drinks as a way to commit suicide and no one would pay attention.

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

Yasmin Aryan:

I would like to specifically thank my mother at the end. She stood behind me like a mountain during the time I was detained and took on any risk to be my voice. This meant a lot to me and I am grateful to her. I even think one of the reasons why Saba Kord Afshari and I were included in the amnesty and the boys who were detained with us were not, was because our mothers supported us and made our voices heard everywhere.

Thank you for the opportunity you have given us.