Prisoners’ rights in international law; from global standards to the reality of Iranian prisons/Sina Yousefi

The extent to which a legal system adheres to the rule of law cannot be measured solely through criminal laws or court decisions; one of the most accurate measures of its assessment is the way in which individuals who are deprived of their liberty for any reason are treated. Contrary to popular belief, prison is […]...

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Vakilabad, the Forgotten Prison/ Majid Shia’ali

Last July, events occurred in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad that have had little precedent in the history of this prison. The detainees of the protests of last January are still present in this prison in large numbers. Although the number of detainees has decreased from more than a thousand to about four hundred during this […]...

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Fair trial from arrest to trial/ Lohrasb Kouhestani

The interval between the moment of arrest and the day of trial is the most sensitive, critical, and at the same time the most vulnerable part of the criminal justice process. It is during this period that the individual is directly confronted with the powerful and organized machine of state prosecution; while his guilt has […]...

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Law and Violence Behind Prison Walls/ Morteza Hamounian

It is no longer strange for officers to shoot at people in the streets and in the face of public protests. Of course, it was strange at one time; an air shot in the ceiling would scare everyone, wondering why the security officers had started shooting. But today, and especially after what happened in 2009, […]...

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Why is independent monitoring part of the minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners?/ Shabnam Moeinipour

When a prison door is closed, the government does not just restrict a person’s freedom. Water, food, medicine, sleep, light, contact with family, access to a lawyer, the ability to file a complaint, and even record what a prisoner has been through are all at the disposal of the institution that has detained him. This […]...

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Death in Custody and State Responsibility/ Diako Moradi

Deaths in custody are among the most sensitive issues in international human rights law and one of the most significant indicators for assessing a state’s commitment to the rule of law. When an individual is deprived of liberty, the state assumes not only the authority to restrict that person’s freedom but also the direct responsibility […]...

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The Theater and the Soul: Foucault’s Unflinching Gaze at the Spectacle of Execution/ Afshin Davoudi

Speaking of public executions evokes a primal image: a crowd gathered in a square, a platform bathed in sunlight or shadow, and the haunting silhouette of the condemned. A scene that feels both ancient and profoundly disturbing. Most modern objections to this practice are based on human rights principles, empathy, and a deep revulsion triggered […]...

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From Cheap Death to Contemporary Scaffolds/ Reza Harisi

Public execution—a phenomenon in which the final moments of a human being’s life are put on public display—goes beyond mere punishment and, in Marcel Mauss’s terms, constitutes a “total social fact” that encompasses all dimensions of a society’s life (legal, political, religious, economic, ethical, and cultural). While the global trend in the modern era has […]...

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Attack on Prisons During Wartime: Solution or Tragedy?/ Majid Shia Ali

There is precedent in modern military history for air assaults on prisons. In some cases, such incidents result from operational errors or misfires during broader military campaigns. One of the most tragic examples occurred in May 1999, when NATO launched strikes in response to the Serbian army’s ethnic repression of Kosovar Albanians. Among the multiple […]...

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“Intervention of repentance in judicial matters and reminding of repentance; conversation with Sadegheh Vasemghi/ Ali Kalaii”

In the first half of Tir month 1403, in the aftermath of the helicopter crash of Ebrahim Raisi and preparations for the election of the 14th government of the Islamic Republic, the head of the judiciary announced a set of guidelines that, if discussed in a different context, could have sparked many debates and opinions. […]...

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The struggles of “Javad Roohi” and the responsibility of humanity/ Marzieh Mohabbey

The judicial system of the Islamic Republic, from its early days until now, has prioritized security and maintaining the status quo, making it a tool for all kinds of oppression and widespread human rights violations. In Iran, we do not have an independent judicial system. Article 57 of the Constitution states, “The governing powers in […]...

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Not responding is equal to the continuation of torture and inhumane behavior / Raha Sabzestani remains steadfast.

Responsiveness of officials to the people demonstrates the demands of citizens at the forefront of governance and introduces leaders as servants of the people in action. Through the principle of accountability, not only can the demands of citizens be obtained in a desirable manner, but the legitimacy of the political system will also significantly face […]...

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