The Narges Mohammadi Foundation issued an “urgent call for action to protect the lives of prisoners in wartime conditions,” stating that the release of political prisoners — or at minimum the granting of temporary leave — is their right under the current circumstances.
In a statement published on Sunday night, the foundation expressed deep concern about the situation of political prisoners and protesters detained after 28 February, following the start of military attacks by the United States and Israel. It emphasized that the lives of thousands of prisoners are now at serious risk.
The statement noted that reports of explosions in the vicinity of the Evin neighborhood of Tehran, near Evin Prison, as well as around Zanjan and close to that city’s prison, have raised profound concerns. According to the foundation, such military strikes place the lives of thousands of detainees in grave danger.
At the same time on Sunday, videos circulated on social media allegedly showing groups of prisoners being transferred from prisons to Basij bases across the city. A citizen journalist claimed that these individuals were among the recently detained protesters and that the authorities were attempting to use them as human shields at government facilities to deter potential attacks.
The foundation also referred to reports of a crisis inside Evin Prison, indicating that prison management has been disrupted, food distribution in some wards has been halted, and prisoners’ access to the prison store and medical services has been restricted. Similar reports have emerged from Qezel Hesar Prison in Karaj and Lakan Prison in Rasht.
In an urgent appeal sent to the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Médecins Sans Frontières, the foundation called for the immediate intervention of international bodies to verify the condition of prisoners and to ensure the implementation of protective protocols. It stressed that prisons and detention centers are considered “protected civilian sites” under international law and that targeting them constitutes a war crime.
In conclusion, the foundation reiterated its demand for the immediate and unconditional release of Narges Mohammadi and all political and prisoners of conscience, and urged the international community to take urgent action to safeguard the lives of detainees.
