Mass Transfer to Evin Prison Amid Ruins – Then, 5 Political Prisoners Are Forcibly Taken to Ghezel Hesar
Early on August 7, 2025, Iranian authorities began the unannounced, large-scale transfer of over 600 prisoners from Greater Tehran Prison (Fashafouyeh) to Evin Prison. This included political, security, and financial detainees. However, Evin is currently unable to hold any prisoners. The prison was severely damaged during the “12-Day War” missile strike and is now partially destroyed, lacking basic sanitation, infrastructure, and safety.
Returning prisoners to this unsafe, semi-ruined facility is not just irresponsible — it’s inhumane. But what followed was even more alarming.
Not a Transfer — a Violent Seizure
As several buses carrying prisoners departed for Evin Prison, security forces stormed the vehicles mid-route. In a targeted and premeditated operation, officers separated 5 political prisoners from the others, beat them, and forced them off the buses. The men were then secretly transferred to Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, one of Iran’s main execution centers today.
According to eyewitness accounts, fellow inmates tried to resist the forced removal and prevent the authorities from taking these five individuals. However, they were overpowered by the heavily armed guards. No explanation was given. Contact with families was not permitted. No legal justification was presented.
This was not a mistake. This was a covert transfer into a death zone.
Names of the 5 Political Prisoners at Risk of Execution:
- Vahid Bani-Amarian
- Pouya Ghobadi
- Babak Alipour
- Ali Akbar (Shahrokh) Daneshvarkar
- Seyed Mohammad Taghavi
In addition to these five, one security-related prisoner, Babak Shahbazi (accused of espionage for Israel), was also transferred to Ghezel Hesar. All six individuals face death sentences.
A Pattern of Disappearances Before Executions
This method — sudden separation, violent transfer, and isolation in Ghezel Hesar — matches a well-documented pattern used by the Iranian authorities prior to executing political prisoners. Earlier this year, Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani were moved the same way. Days later, they were quietly executed, without family notification or access to final legal appeal.
All six political prisoners were sentenced in a mass trial and they were charged to fight against god.!! Lawyers were either denied or restricted. The trial was held in closed session. Multiple reports indicate that forced confessions were extracted under torture.
The Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj has seen dozens of executions in the first half of 2025 alone. It has become the central hub for carrying out death sentences — particularly against political prisoners. The prison suffers from:
- Severe overcrowding
- Lack of medical care
- No access to independent legal representation
- Near-total isolation for death row inmates
Being sent to Ghezel Hesar is often the last step before repeating a massacre.
What You Can Do
We call on international human rights organizations, UN bodies, governments, and civil society to act immediately:
Share the names and faces of these prisoners
Support our campaigns to abolish the death penalty in Iran
These five men have been dragged from a ruined prison into the shadows of death.
Do not let them be forgotten. Your voice may save their lives.
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