The administration of the Orumiyeh Central Prison has been imposing harsh conditions on the woman prisoners in the past few weeks.
Bakhshi, the prison director, and Badaghi, the head of the prison’s ward for women, have reduced prison yard time to two hours per day and phone calls to once every four days.
Prison officials have cited the absence of woman prisoners in the Quran classes as an excuse to impose these restrictions.
In an interview with the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), a family member of one of the prisoners said the situation had not changed despite a two-day strike by prisoners in October.
According to the source, in addition to the new restrictions, male prison staff insult and disrespect woman prisoners, calling them “immoral”.
There are four separate rooms with 36 beds in the prison’s women’s ward, and at least 40 prisoners are currently held in each room.
Due to the new restrictions, woman prisoners are kept for about 22 hours a day in these small rooms with many inmates. The rooms do not have air ventilation.
Also, at least four prisoners of conscience are being held in this ward.
Before these restrictions, all prisoners could enter the ward corridor, other rooms, and the yard throughout the day.
Now, however, each room’s door is open only for two hours a day, and prisoners cannot move between the rooms.
