Three Candidates Dominate Iran’s Presidential Elections

Hamid Nouri was in prison for his involvement in the 1988 massacre of thousands of Iranian political prisoners, and was released over the weekend in exchange for two Swedish citizens, one of whom was an EU diplomat accused of spying for Isreal.

The protest also highlighted the case of Ahmadreza Jalali, an Iranian-Swede who was left out of the prisoner swap and remains on death row in Iran.

Among the speakers of the rally was Jalili’s wife Vida Mehrannia who criticized Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson for agreeing to the exchange which only emboldens Iran's policy of hostage taking.

"The Swedish government has claimed that the Islamic Republic is not willing to agree to exchange Ahmadreza Jalali. How, then, was the Swedish government prepared to release a terrorist?" she questioned.

The protest in Stockholm is part of a larger wave of dissent, with many fearing that such exchanges may embolden the Iranian government in its use of hostage-taking as a diplomatic tool.

It is unknown how many dual-nationals are being held in Iran, but earlier this month it was revealed that a British-Iranian woman was the latest to have been found being held in Evin Prison on trumped up charges.

Nasrin Roshan was arrested on her way home to Britain accused of protesting against the government abroad, sentenced to three years in prison.

Just last year, the US exchanged five US-Iranians for the release of $6bn of frozen Iranian funds held in South Korea, further legitimizing Iran's policy of hostage-taking.

This year's total death toll reached 19 with temperatures forecast to reach a peak of 47 degrees.

The intense heat has had a significant impact, especially during the critical Hajj ritual of 'stoning the Devil', a period marked by several of the reported deaths.

Each year, the Hajj pilgrimage attracts approximately 1.8 million Muslims to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

According to Saudi's health ministry spokesman, Mohammed Al-Abdulaali, more than 2,760 pilgrims suffered from sunstroke and heat stress on Sunday alone.

In response to the annual deaths which plague the pilgrimage, Saudi authorities have introduced a variety of precautions including climate-controlled facilities and comprehensive medical support to address the health risks posed by the heat.

Last year, deaths reached as many as 240 with temperatures around 48 degrees.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has detailed the conditions in which these prisoners live, most of whom are political detainees, in a report published on Friday.

Here is an in-depth report on the prison, compiling data from previous reports and HRANA's findings on Ward 4.

Evin Prison's Profile

The Evin prison is Iran's largest facility for detained political prisoners, some charged with crimes related to national security. Over the years, it has garnered international attention and criticism for its wrongful treatment of prisoners and human rights violations. In response to allegations of abuse and misconduct, both the US and the EU have imposed sanctions on Evin prison, underscoring the need for reforms within Iran's penal system.

An incident that intensified attention, particularly, was a fire that broke out in Evin prison in October 2022 amid the nationwide Woman Life Freedom protests. Official records indicate eight prisoner fatalities and 61 injuries.

While Iranian authorities attributed the fire to prisoners, evidence collected by Amnesty International raised significant concerns that the authorities exploited the situation to justify a violent crackdown on prisoners under the pretext of firefighting and preventing escapes.

Another notable event occurred in 2021 when a hacktivist group breached Evin prison's security cameras. The footage obtained by Edalat-e Ali from these hacked CCTV cameras revealed numerous abuses, including overcrowding, inhumane cell conditions, and instances of guards and other inmates assaulting prisoners.

Overcrowding and Hygiene Concerns

Evin prison has four halls in its ward four. Originally designed to house 120 individuals, halls 3 and 4 now find themselves overcrowded with more than 300 inmates. This overcrowding has led to cramped sleeping arrangements and heightened hygiene concerns. With inadequate space and minimal facilities, many prisoners are forced to sleep on the floor, resulting in an alarming increase in the prevalence of bed bugs and other diseases within the prison environment.

In May, Mehdi Mahmoudian, a political activist with over eleven arrests and eight years of imprisonment, reported on X that Taleghani Hospital in Tehran ceased admitting dialysis patients from Evin due to bedbug contamination.

The activist stated that the hospital provided a sample canister of bedbugs to Evin's medical department head as evidence.

Earlier, Zia Nabavi, a student activist and political detainee, described the harsh effects of the infestation, such as sleep deprivation, before being transferred to solitary confinement.

Prison Store and Food Quality

Furthermore, the quality of prison food has come under scrutiny, with reports of physical ailments among inmates due to poor nutrition.

Many prisoners have experienced weight loss, joint pain, and difficulties concentrating, attributing these health issues to the substandard quality of the government-provided meals.

Additionally, the exorbitant prices at the prison store have made it difficult for some inmates to afford basic necessities, exacerbating their financial strain.

Recently, reports emerged that Mohammad Nourizad, a prominent writer, filmmaker, and political detainee, was transferred to solitary confinement following his protest against the escalating food prices in prison, as disclosed by his wife.

Fatemeh Maleki, in an audio clip circulating on social media, revealed that Nourizad's objections to the rising prison food expenses in the past two months prompted his solitary confinement.

Drug Related Issues

According to HRANA's report, the ongoing prevalence of drugs poses a substantial threat to the welfare of the incarcerated community.

This aligns with the statement made in May by Iran's anti-narcotics police chief, who asserted that roughly half of the country's prisoners are implicated in drug-related activities.

In 2020, Iran Wire reported the distribution of inexpensive, mass-produced narcotics within prisons. Activists like Leila Hosseinzadeh, now released, highlighted the prevalent practice of systematically drugging prisoners. Describing an incident, she recounted how, following a brawl between two inmates, one was forcibly administered a pill to silence them for several days.

Living Conditions and Protests

The dire living conditions within ward four have prompted protests among the incarcerated population. Despite repeated appeals and requests for intervention, prison officials have thus far neglected to address these grievances adequately. The overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions have significantly impacted the physical and mental well-being of the inmates, fueling their frustration and dissatisfaction.

Presidential candidate Alireza Zakani accused Mohammad Javad Zarif, along with former President Hassan Rouhani and former Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, of “clandestinely” handling the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) document.

Zakani claimed that the trio withheld the JCPOA from other vital Iranian officials, including then-Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Admiral Ali Shamkhani, and the special advisor to the Supreme Leader, Ali Akbar Velayati, under "utmost confidentiality."

The response from Zarif's office denounced Zakani's claims as “baseless”, highlighting that the JCPOA text and its Persian translation were publicly posted on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' official website immediately after the deal's conclusion, debunking the notion of secrecy.

Furthermore, Zarif’s office also defended the JCPOA's “legitimacy”, noting its ratification by various Iranian governmental bodies and its alignment with the will of the Islamic regime, as recognized by the Supreme Leader.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly referred to as the Iran nuclear deal, was a landmark agreement reached in July 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 group, comprising the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany.

The core objective of the JCPOA was to curb Iran's nuclear capabilities to ensure they remained strictly for peaceful purposes, in exchange for lifting economic sanctions that had impacted Iran's economy. Under the agreement, Iran agreed to reduce its stockpile of uranium, limit its level of uranium enrichment, and decrease the number of its centrifuges in return for relief from sanctions.

However, the US withdrew from the accord in 2018 under President Donald Trump, which led to the re-imposition of US sanctions. Since then, Iran's uranium enrichment has reached levels which the UN's nuclear chief says allows Iran to be "weeks not months" away from a nuclear weapon.

Citing his "greater readiness," Ghalibaf called for “unity” among the five conservative candidates in a TV address Sunday.

He stated on state TV, "I am among those who reminded my campaign staff of two points yesterday: first, to maintain ethics, and second, that the ‘Revolution Front’ must rally behind one candidate before June 28. There is certainly rationality, selflessness, and kindness within the Revolution Front."

With five of the six candidates coming from the conservative ranks, there is little choice for Iran when it goes to the polls later this month following the sudden death of former president Ebrahim Raisi.

As Iran endures its worst economic crisis since the founding of the Islamic Republic and sees the biggest challenge to government legitimacy in its history, he presented himself as the leading candidate. "I stepped forward after the death of Ebrahim Raisi because the country is at a critical juncture, and I felt I was more prepared than the others," he said.

Raisi and his entourage lost their lives in a helicopter crash in East Azarbaijan province on May 19, triggering this month's snap elections which are expected to see a record low turnout.

Also on Sunday, Mahmoud Nabavian, a member of parliament and a prominent member of the ultraconservative Paydari Front dismissed reports of Saeed Jalili withdrawing from the presidential race as "electoral lies" and labeled their dissemination as "a religious sin."

Nabavian asserted, "As someone who is part of his campaign and accompanies him, I completely deny this claim."