May 3, 2011
According to reports from the Central Sanandaj Prison, security forces in this prison raided cellblock 3 under the excuse of conducting a search and beat prisoners with batons. They then forced the barefoot prisoners out of their cells and violently conducted a search of their personal belongings.
Notably the condition of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience is deteriorating on a daily basis. Prison officials use their informers in prison to put pressure on these prisoners. Narcotics are widely distributed while criminals are hired to harass political prisoners every day while they are in the prison yard. Political prisoners have also been threatened by prison officials that if they protest the status quo, they will be sent to prisons in the farthest corners of Iran.
Political prisoners are constantly attacked by prison thugs who are detained on charges such as murder and drug dealing. This is while according to the laws of the Islamic Republic, prisoners with special cases have to be kept in separate cells but in the Sanandaj Central Prison, political prisoners are detained with dangerous criminals.
On the other hand, prisoners with dangerous and contagious diseases and viruses like hepatitis are also kept with political prisoners. (Pars Daily News website – Apr. 28, 2011)