In Iran, the rate of increase in number of prisoners is 10 times that of the population increase in the country

NCRI – In an astonishing admission, Zolghadr, the deputy head of Iranian regime’s judiciary said: The number of prisoners is three times that of the total capacity of all prisons. The volume of judicial cases is annually increased by 30% and the number of prisoners are increased by 20% each year (state-run news agency ISNA October7, 2011). In other words, the rate of increase of the number of prisoners is 10 times that of the population increase in the country.

Previously, Gholamhossein Esmaili, Director of the Organization of Prisons said: The nominal capacity of Iran’s prisons is 55,000 people; however, there are more than 220,000 prisoners (state-run daily Sharq–June27, 2011). According to him the number of prisoners has increased by 55,000 only in 18 months. The country’s prisons’ annual throughput is 400 to 500 thousand people with an absolute re-incarceration rate of 20% (state-run news agency Mehr -April30,2011). He had previously called for additional suppressive measures and torture of the prisoners and said: “We must carry out the sentences more seriously and return fear to the prisons.”

In this regard, Yousefiyan, a member of the Judicial Committee of regime’s parliament said: “Currently, we have 4 times more prisoners than the capacity of the prisons, and in some locations this rate has reached 8 times. That is to say that a prison that has a capacity for 100 people is holding 800 prisoners.” Moussavi, another member of the committee has also said: “The number of prisoners in some prisons is so high that some of them are forced to sleep on the stairways,” (state-run daily Sharq – June 27, 2011).

Ali Badri, head of regime’s judiciary in the western province of Lorestan said: “Prisoners’ census in 1980 was only 10,000, but now this number has reached more than 250,000 people,” (state-run news agency ISNA -August 19,2011). According to these census, while the country’s population has increased by 2.5 times, the number of prisoners has increased by 25 times.

Stressing that these shocking and horrifying figures are only the tip of the painful reality of Iran’s prisons, the Iranian Resistance calls on the UN Security Council, the UN Secretary General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN Special Rapporteur for Iran to  take immediate action to inspect the catastrophic state of prisons and asks for the referral of the systematic and heinous violations of human rights under the mullahs’ regime to the UN security Council and for the imposition of comprehensive sanction against it.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
October 9, 2011