March 6, 2011
Iran Human Rights News Agency (HRANA): After two or three days of incarceration at the IRGC’s Afsarieh Detention Center in Tehran, dozens of 25 Bahman (February 14) detainees have either been transferred to the Evin Prison or released. They endured heavy persecution and torture during their detention at Afsarieh.
A detainee transferred to this detention center told HRANA, “I was kept blindfolded and handcuffed along with the others for three days. The small space and the high number of detainees forced us to sit while sleeping for the entire three days.”
The Afsarieh Detention Center is an IRGC-controlled military prison at the Qasr-e-Firouzeh garrisons. Last year, many reports were published regarding the transfer and detention of protestors against the Tenth Presidential Election results. Some newspapers had previously talked about the detention of some famous prisoners at Afsarieh. This detention center operates outside the supervision of the Iran Prison Organization and the Ministry of Justice.
On February 14th, this anonymous person along with some others were arrested at Keshavarz Boulevard in Tehran and taken to the Afsarieh Detention Center. He told the Iran Human Rights House, “During the entire three days, we didn’t have our handcuffs on only during meals and going to the bathroom. They behaved very rudely with us throughout those three days. The officers beat and harassed many of the detainees.”
These detainees were imprisoned in a public hall lacking facilities, forced to sleep sitting up on cold floors the entire time.
Likewise a student activist who was before incarcerated at this detention center told Iran Human Rights House, “After the arrest they beat us and took us to an unknown location. For 15 hours we were blindfolded and handcuffed at this place which we didn’t recognize at first. An officer later informed us about this matter.”
Some of the February 14 detainees held for two to three days were then transferred to Row 2A at the IRGC-controlled Evin Prison, while others were either freed or taken to Evin’s public row.
HRANA earlier on March 1 had reported about the transfer of detainees to unknown and illegal locations during the past few weeks. The Ayatollah Saeedi School and the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) were such places. Many detainees were sent to the Fateb House and the Shariati Avenue Security Police Station.