The text describes the harrowing experiences of Farideh, a brave Iranian prisoner who risked her life to reveal the torture and mistreatment of women in Qarchak prison. Farideh, a university student and member of the Iranian resistance group MEK, was arrested and imprisoned for over a year after painting graffiti against the current regime. She was denied a fair trial, subjected to torture, beatings, and interrogations, and kept in solitary confinement before being transferred to Qarchak prison.
Qarchak prison, originally built for livestock, has gained notoriety for its deplorable conditions. Human rights groups and Iranian dissidents have reported that the prison is plagued by disease, poor sanitation, and rampant torture, murder, and rape. Farideh described the overcrowded wards, where prisoners were crammed together without enough space to lie down or sleep. The prison was filthy, with overflowing sewage and poor air quality that made it difficult to breathe.
Before her transfer to Qarchak, Farideh spent several months in solitary confinement in one of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) detention centers. She endured regular interrogations, where she was pressured to confess her involvement with the MEK. Despite beatings and psychological torture, she refused to yield, as did many other female protesters detained after the September 2022 uprising.
Farideh highlighted cases of physical and mental torture in the prison, particularly targeting political prisoners. She mentioned a journalist who exposed the violent treatment of detainees by female IRGC agents, and a cellmate who received a lengthy prison sentence for her involvement in a demonstration and connection with the MEK. The prison guards displayed indifference towards a woman who attempted suicide, refusing to transfer her to the prison clinic.
The text emphasized the importance of overthrowing the fundamentalist regime in Iran to achieve human rights, peace, and the end of war. The MEK, the largest opposition group to the Iranian regime, consists of women and men both inside and outside Iran who actively resist the mullahs’ rule. Despite the severe crackdown on protesters and the arrest of thousands, individuals, including youth and students, continue to defy the regime through acts of resistance.
Farideh called on governments in the UK, US, and the West to abandon their policy of appeasement toward Iran and support those resisting the dictatorship. She argued that appeasement has led to domestic repression, terrorism, and extremism. She urged the international community to firmly oppose the mullahs, blacklist the IRGC (their main repressive force), and support the people of Iran and their resistance. Recognizing their right to self-defense and resistance is seen as the path to achieving freedom, democracy, and peace in Iran and the region.
In summary, the text highlights the courageous testimony of Farideh, an Iranian prisoner who exposed the torture and mistreatment of women in Qarchak prison. It sheds light on the deplorable conditions, overcrowding, and lack of sanitation in the prison, as well as the physical and psychological torture endured by political prisoners. The text also emphasizes the importance of supporting the resistance against the Iranian regime and calling for international action to promote human rights, democracy, and peace in Iran.
Source » iranintl