IHRNGO Calls for Closure of Qarchak Prison After 2 More Women Die in Custody
Iran Human Rights (IHNRGO); September 25, 2025: In recent days, two women imprisoned in Qarchak Prison in Karaj have died as a result of medical neglect by prison authorities. The judiciary of the Islamic Republic confirmed the death of political prisoner Somayeh Rashidi. She became seriously ill in prison, but despite repeated pleas from other inmates to transfer her to hospital, the prison authorities refused until she lost consciousness and fell into a coma. The second woman who died due to neglect in the same prison was Jamileh A who according to fellow prisoners, after hours of disregard by the medical staff, her body was eventually removed from the ward only “after she died, her eyes still open.”
In December, Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) published a report entitled “Qarchak Prison: Hell for Women and Children”, warning about the prison’s conditions and describing it as one of the darkest symbols of systematic human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Reacting to these deaths, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, Director of IHRNGO, stated: “We call for an independent fact-finding committee to investigate these two women’s causes of death. The responsibility for safeguarding the lives and health of prisoners lies with the Prisons Organisation, the head of the judiciary, and ultimately the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. They must be held accountable for the deaths of Somayeh Rashidi and Jamileh in Qarchak Prison.”
He had previously described the prison’s inhumane conditions, saying: “Qarchak Prison is a symbol of the blatant denial of humanity and human dignity. The continued operation of such facilities is a stain on the conscience of the world. Today, more than ever, we must call on the international community not to remain silent in the face of such widespread human rights violations.”
According to information obtained by IHRNGO, the atmosphere inside Qarchak Prison is filled with grief and anger while prison authorities have remained silent in the face of the recent deaths. Speaking to IHRNGO about Jamileh’s death, a prisoner said: “The women cried, screamed, protested… but nobody came. She died before our eyes. Her eyes remained open as they carried her out of the ward.” She had been held in the financial ward of Consultation Hall 2.
On 25 September 2025, the judiciary’s Mizan News Agency confirmed the death of Somayeh Rashidi, a political prisoner who had fallen into a coma in recent days. Irresponsibly, the judiciary attributed her death to “pre-existing health problems prior to detention.” It further accused her of alleged links with the “Monafeqin”, a pejorative term used by state and affiliated media to refer to the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK). Somayeh had been transferred to the already overcramped Qarchak Prison, along with dozens of other female political prisoners, following the Israeli attack on Evin Prison on 23 June.
Another prisoner named Farzaneh Bijanpour who was held in Ward 6 of the prison died on 11 January 2025 after the prison doctor refused to provide adequate medical care. Farzaneh, who was imprisoned for a non-political offence, went to the prison infirmary after feeling unwell and having chills, but the prison doctor dismissed her condition as malingering. When her cellmates brought her back in a more serious condition, the doctor merely gave her a painkiller. She later lost consciousness in her ward and was taken back to the infirmary, where she died while still unconscious. Prison authorities only attempted to transfer her to hospital after she had already passed away.
In the December 2024 report, the prison was described as: “Originally designed as a poultry farm, the facility has been transformed into an inhumane detention centre for women prisoners, including political prisoners. The conditions in this prison not only violate international principles such as the Bangkok Rules and the Nelson Mandela Rules but also disregard the most basic principles of human dignity.
At Qarchak, women are confined in extremely cramped spaces with inadequate ventilation and lighting. They endure unsanitary drinking water, poor-quality food, lack of adequate healthcare services, and degrading, gender-based treatment as part of their daily suffering. Qarchak is not only a prison filled with violence and abuse but also, due to severe overcrowding and lack of basic facilities, many prisoners are deprived even of sleeping space, forced to sleep on the floor.
The prison is also a glaring symbol of violations against women and mothers. Mothers whose children stay with them in this hazardous and polluted environment until the age of two when they are taken into state care. Often, these mothers have no means to find out about their children’s fate. Undocumented children born in this prison are caught in a cycle of deprivation and injustice from the moment they are born.
IHRNGO once again calls on the international community, human rights organisations, and all conscientious individuals to take action to close down Qarchak Prison. As noted in IHRNGO's report, “This should not merely be seen as a domestic issue; it is a test for the international community to unite in defending human dignity and rights. The closure of Qarchak Prison is a necessary step toward securing prisoners’ rights and a symbol of global commitment to justice and humanity.”
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