Accounts of women’s experiences within Iran’s notorious Evin prison

Alone on the floor of a small, windowless cell, Nasim reportedly heard what appeared to be other inmates undergoing torture. A guard would strike the door, stating: “Can you hear that beating? Get ready, you’re next.” She faced “interrogated for 10 to 12 hours every day” and was frequently menaced with execution. Her stark cell, measuring under two metres across, lacked a bed or toilet. This four-month period of solitary confinement marked the 36-year-old hairdresser’s initial experience at Iran’s infamous Evin prison. Her only interactions were with her interrogators. She believed she would “die and no-one would know”. Reports from several credible sources have been compiled to illustrate the daily existence of Nasim and other women presently incarcerated in Evin prison. A significant number of these individuals were among the tens of thousands apprehended in relation to the “Woman, Life, Freedom” demonstrations that occurred after the passing of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September 2022. Mahsa had been detained for purportedly violating Iranian statutes mandating women to wear the hijab, and she subsequently died while in police custody. Although former detainees have discussed the conditions within Evin following their release, obtaining specific information about prisoners’ lives while they remain incarcerated is uncommon. The information gathered indicates not only harshness but also an environment of intricate contradictions, where prisoners persist in advocating for women’s rights and openly defy the limitations placed upon them. Unexpected occurrences also emerge; for instance, one inmate, granted infrequent private time with her husband, has become pregnant. Nasim, who enjoys rap music and make-up, was apprehended in April 2023 after participating in protests alongside her friends, one of whom lost her life during the government’s suppression. She endured interrogations “by thinking about those who died on the street”. Individuals who observed Nasim upon her release from solitary confinement reported seeing cuts and bruises on her body and stated she was tortured to extract false confessions. Rezvaneh was similarly arrested in 2023 after the protests, together with her husband. Both were ultimately imprisoned in Evin, which maintains distinct areas for male and female inmates. Her interrogators reportedly threatened to kill her husband and “hit him so much that he would turn black like coal, and purple like an aubergine”. Following solitary confinement, interrogations, and degradation, Nasim was transferred to the women’s wing, which accommodates approximately 70 individuals, including Rezvaneh, with the majority having been detained on political grounds. This section is where British-Iranian citizen Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcilffe, who received permission to return to the UK in 2022, served almost four years of her term. The majority of the women incarcerated there have been sentenced due to their activism, for alleged offenses such as disseminating propaganda, taking up arms against the regime, and jeopardizing national security. They reside in four congested cells, each housing as many as 20 individuals, with bunk beds arranged in triple tiers. Coexisting in confined spaces frequently leads to tension, occasionally resulting in altercations, both physical and verbal. Nevertheless, the women also establish strong connections. During winter, “everyone is freezing” and the women “walk around with hot water bottles” for warmth. In summer, they suffer from intense heat. A small kitchen space is available, equipped with a few hobs, where inmates, provided they possess sufficient funds to purchase provisions from the prison shop, can prepare their own food to supplement the standard prison meals delivered to their cells. A dimly lit, unclean section at the corridor’s end functions as a smoking area. A compact, paved yard, featuring a small planting space and a volleyball net, offers a limited outdoor environment. Inmates are permitted to wear their personal clothing and can move freely within their living quarters, which include two bathrooms. Each evening, they form a line to access the toilet and brush their teeth. Approximately four months into her imprisonment, Rezvaneh discovered she was pregnant at this location. She had experienced infertility for an extended period and had abandoned hope of having a child. However, under Evin’s regulations, she and her husband, who remains an inmate in the men’s wing, were periodically permitted private meetings, and it was during one such encounter that she conceived. Upon realizing her pregnancy, she “cried for several days”. She stated that “the worst thing was the mental pressure and tensions inside the prison”. Locating a tranquil spot within the packed cells, where individuals typically spend their days seated on their beds, presented an ongoing difficulty. The prison diet caused her to desire apple juice, bread, and meat, items that were difficult to acquire. When meat was available from the prison shop, its cost was at least double that of meat outside the facility. The prison authorities eventually granted her an ultrasound scan at four months, and medical professionals informed her she was expecting a girl. While listening to “each heartbeat the sense of hope became stronger”, she feared that the prison conditions could jeopardize the baby’s health. Rezvaneh’s concerns extended beyond her diet; she suffers from epilepsy and required stress avoidance. Prison doctors informed her of a significant miscarriage risk. Vida, a journalist, enjoys painting. She utilizes bedsheets as canvases to create portraits of her fellow inmates. One such portrait, illicitly removed from Evin, depicts Kurdish prisoner Pakhshan Azizi, who journeyed to Kurdish regions of Iraq and Syria to assist victims of the Islamic State group. Pakhshan has received a death sentence after being charged with employing weapons against the Iranian regime, and there is considerable apprehension that this sentence might be executed imminently. Vida has reportedly been cautioned against creating drawings with concealed meanings. On a yard wall, she depicted crumbling bricks with a green forest in the background. The authorities subsequently painted over it. Within a corridor, she painted an image of a running Iranian cheetah. Some of the women “kept saying how much good energy they got from it”. However, one evening, the authorities “went and painted over it” and limited Vida’s availability of painting materials. Nevertheless, one of her murals remains untouched: vast, blue ocean waves adorning the walls of the corridor used by the women for smoking. Accessing medical attention has been an ongoing struggle for the women. Narges Mohammadi, a human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate among the inmates, suffers from life-threatening heart and lung ailments. Yet, while incarcerated, she has had to contend extensively for medical access. Family members reported that officials consistently obstructed her treatment because she declined to wear a headscarf for medical appointments. The authorities only conceded after other prisoners initiated a two-week hunger strike. Narges was temporarily released for 21 days in early December due to health reasons. Within the prison, she and the other inmates have conducted protests, challenging limits and persistently advocating for their rights. Despite legal mandates for headscarf use, numerous women decline to wear them. Following an extended dispute with the authorities, the women were granted curtains around their beds to afford some privacy, shielded from CCTV cameras. A significant challenge for the women is the anticipation of their sentences. Nasim’s interrogators had threatened her with capital punishment, and she endured a wait of almost 500 days to learn her outcome. She discovered comfort among her fellow inmates, whom she has characterized as sisters who invigorate her life and serve as “a balm on the wounds” of her wings. Each morning, a friend draws back her bed curtain and encourages her to rise for breakfast. “Each day we think of something to do, so by the end of the day we can tell ourselves, ‘We lived today,'” one of the sources clarifies. Other inmates occupy their time by reading poetry, singing, engaging in homemade card games, and watching television; two televisions are available, broadcasting Iranian channels featuring drama, documentaries, and football. These minor elements sustained Nasim during her wait for sentencing, amidst the persistent threat of execution. Upon the eventual pronouncement of her sentence, she received six years in prison, 74 lashes, and 20 years of exile in a remote town distant from Tehran. She had faced charges of disseminating propaganda and taking up arms against the Islamic Republic. Notwithstanding the harshness of the verdict, Nasim felt a renewed ability to breathe and to embrace the existence she believed she had forfeited. Three additional women in the wing have received death sentences for taking up arms against the regime or for association with armed organizations. Nevertheless, one of these sentences has been reversed. Over 800 individuals were executed in Iran last year, marking the highest figure in eight years, as reported by Amnesty International. The majority were for offenses related to violence and drugs. A small number were women. Consequently, every Tuesday, the women demonstrate against executions, chanting in the prison yard, declining to move throughout the night, and conducting hunger strikes. This movement has expanded to prisons nationwide in Iran, garnering global backing. On the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death, the women in Evin set headscarves alight. Retaliations have occurred; at times, guards conduct raids on their cells, and women have been subjected to beatings and injuries. They may also be removed for additional interrogations, returned to solitary confinement, or have their phone calls and visits restricted. The majority of guards are female, and “sometimes they are kind, sometimes they are cruel and hard-hearted, depending on what orders they receive from a higher authority”, according to one source. The Iranian government consistently refutes claims of human rights abuses, asserting that conditions within Evin