Sit-in in Switzerland highlight the inhumane prison conditions in Iran

In recent days, human rights defenders and members of the Iranian diaspora have staged powerful, peaceful sit-ins across several Swiss cities — including Zurich, Geneva, and Bern. Their unwavering goal: to urgently raise international awareness about the rapidly deteriorating conditions of political prisoners within Iran’s notorious prison system.

Participants bravely held aloft photos of imprisoned activists, courageous writers, and resilient civil society leaders—many of whom are women—currently enduring detention in Iranian prisons. The sit-ins featured poignant placards with messages that resonated deeply: “Save Political Prisoners,” “Stop Executions,” and “Freedom Now.”

Beyond the powerful protest banners, organizers thoughtfully set up book tables laden with vital materials. These resources detailed the grim history of political repression in Iran, shed light on the appalling realities within prisons like Qarchak and Evin, and outlined international legal frameworks concerning prisoners’ rights. Protesters actively engaged with passersby, informing them about the horrific conditions inside Iranian detention centers and issuing a clear call for urgent global attention and action.

A moral emergency: conditions inside Iranian prisons

These impactful events were held in direct response to an alarming surge in reports detailing severe human rights abuses within Iranian prisons. Women incarcerated in Qarchak Prison are allegedly being denied access to clean drinking water, suffering from critical food shortages, and in some harrowing cases, even being given contaminated food. Overcrowding, deliberate medical neglect, and brutal psychological torture remain persistent, systemic issues.

Razieh, a former political prisoner who endured detention in Tehran’s Evin Prison, shared her deeply personal and moving testimony with raw emotion:

“Thinking about my friends who are now in Qarchak Prison, without access to drinkable water, without proper food—or worse, being fed poisoned meals—I feel I have no choice but to act. I cannot stay silent. I have to do everything I can.”

She powerfully emphasized that what is unfolding in Iran’s prisons is nothing short of a moral emergency—one that demands immediate and unwavering international attention.

Call for international action

The organizers of these critical sit-ins issued a forceful appeal to the international community: they must go beyond mere statements of concern. They are urgently pressing the United Nations Human Rights Council and all relevant human rights bodies to launch an independent fact-finding mission to thoroughly investigate the egregious treatment of political prisoners in Iran. They also specifically implore European governments, including Switzerland, to utilize every diplomatic and legal channel available to exert maximum pressure on the Iranian authorities for the immediate release of all prisoners of conscience and an end to the horrific cycle of executions and arbitrary detentions.

These peaceful protests across Switzerland served not only as a profound act of solidarity with those suffering but also as a powerful, undeniable reminder that silence and inaction in the face of systemic injustice only embolden its perpetrators.

Join the fight for justice!

The courageous actions of human rights defenders in Switzerland underscore the urgent need for global solidarity. We cannot stand by while innocent lives are jeopardized in Iranian prisons.

• Support Investigations: Advocate for independent fact-finding missions to expose the truth about Iranian prisons.
• Support Verein Welle: Your contributions enable us to continue our vital work in documenting abuses, supporting families, and advocating for the release of political prisoners.

Let’s stand together to demand an end to these atrocities and ensure that the pleas from inside Iran’s prisons are heard worldwide.