Deterioration of humanitarian conditions in ward five of sheiban Prison amid overcrowding and disease outbreaks

Sources from the Karun Human Rights Organization have reported that approximately 80 individuals were transferred to Ward Five of Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz following a large-scale arrest campaign that took place after the 12-day Iran-Israel war.

According to the sources, these detainees were subjected to physical and psychological torture, and coerced confessions were extracted from them before they were handed down lengthy prison sentences. This has led to an unprecedented increase in the inmate population.

Ward Five, originally designed to accommodate 100 prisoners, now houses more than 125 political detainees. Each room measures less than 20 square meters, with some crammed with over 20 people.

Prisoners are also facing severe environmental contamination, as polluted water and sewage have accumulated in the ward’s yard due to a malfunction in the drainage system.

This has resulted in foul odors and a lack of natural ventilation, worsened by the high surrounding walls.

The health situation inside the ward is described as critical, with outbreaks of skin diseases such as scabies, in addition to illnesses like influenza. Cooking near sewage water poses an additional health hazard to the inmates.

There are only two toilets available, forcing prisoners to wait for an hour or more to use them, and just two showers, with waiting times of up to three hours. Air conditioning units are barely functional, exacerbating the prisoners’ suffering in the intense heat.

In response to these conditions, political prisoners in Ward Five have threatened to launch a mass hunger strike if the issues are not addressed urgently.

The ward houses several death row inmates, including Seyed Salem Mousavi, Habib Daras, Mohammad Davarshenas, Mehdi Sharifi, Mohammad Amin Abiat, Morteza Mehnabour, Masoud Jamea, Ali Reza Mourdasi, and Farshad Etemadi Far, along with others serving life sentences or long prison terms.

Human rights activists have expressed deep concern over these conditions, calling on international bodies and human rights organizations to intervene immediately to protect the lives of the prisoners and improve their living and health conditions.