In a heart-wrenching turn of events, Iranian dissenter Sayeh Seydal escaped a near-death experience when Israeli attacks hit the Evin Prison in Tehran, just as she exited the institution’s health center moments before its total destruction. The infamous detention center, known for holding an array of political dissenters, was targeted on the 23rd of June. The assault sadly claimed the lives of 71 individuals, including prison workforce, military personnel, visiting kin, and neighboring inhabitants, according to Asghar Jahangir, the spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary.
In the wake of the disaster, jail authorities relocated Seydal and other prisoners to other penitentiaries situated outside of Tehran. These establishments, infamous for their overflowing population and harsh treatment, are the new realities for Seydal and her colleagues. Seydal managed to get in touch with her family days later, the call was a plea for help, where she described the unbearable circumstances as ‘a slow demise.’
She accuses the American and Israeli bombings for not causing their deaths but suggests the Islamic Republic will achieve that through their inhuman actions. In her account of the immediate aftermath, Seydal said, ‘They didn’t kill us with their attacks. Instead, they’ve transported us to a place that will almost assuredly bring our end.’ There is increasing fear amongst rights campaigners and advocates of democracy that they’ll bear the brunt of Israel’s 12-day air raids, which aimed to destabilize the Iranian nuclear program.
These advocates express growing concern that the government, still grappling with the security violation, has amplified its efforts to suppress dissenters. The Israeli missile attack on Evin, which aimed to dismantle ‘oppressive regimes,’ plunged the families of the political captives into a state of utter fear as they desperately tried to ascertain the condition of their loved ones. A week subsequent to the frightening incident, families still remain in the dark about those who were being interrogated or in solitary confinement during the strike.
The terror of a possible execution spree, targeting political captives and passionate activists, is mounting. In their minds, a dreadful precedent has been set: Post the Iran-Iraq War of 1988, the governing authorities hastily conducted trials, resulting in at least 5,000 political detainees being executed en-masse. These executed prisoners lie in uncharted mass graves.
During the possessive Israeli military incursion, six death-row inmates have been executed already. As part of a swift response, the parliament is currently considering legislation that would expand the use of capital punishment for accusations of conspiracy with foreign enemies. The judiciary chief has called for the speedy prosecution of those accused of causing ‘disturbances in peace’ or ‘collusion’ with Israel.
Rights campaigner Bahar Ghandehari said, ‘We know what this means. It’s a recipe for mock trials and executions.’ Evin Prison, nestled in a posh district at the outskirts of northern Tehran, had about 120 individuals in its typical wards. There were also several hundreds feared to be held in clandestine security units, undergoing solitary confinement or interrogation.
The Iranian authorities have been notoriously swift and brutal in cracking down on protest movements that have swept the country since 2009. They have killed several hundred and incarcerated thousands. The surprise Israeli assault on Evin happened amid visiting hours, inducing shock and panic amongst everyone present. Seydal, a scholar in international law and a veteran of the protest movements of the last two decades, was already familiar with prison life since 2023.
She recounted to her family her near miss with death after the clinic was hit by a missile, causing her to fall to the ground, being at the wrong place at the wrong time. The strike also wreaked havoc on visitor halls, the office of the prosecutor, and even a few prisoner sectors. The prison entry, where detainees customarily wait for hospital or court transit, was hit by a missile.
The aftermath was filled with frantic shuffling as night buses began to move the detainees to other facilities. About 65 of the female prisoners, including Seydal, were transferred to Qarchak Prison, while men were sent to the Grand Tehran Penitentiary that housed high-security prisoners and criminals. Both prisons are located to the south of Tehran.
Among the relocated women were several requiring medical attention, including 73-year-old civil rights supporter Raheleh Rahemi, suffering from a brain tumor. Seydal reported during her call that Qarchak was nothing short of a ‘nightmare.’ She painted a picture of a sordid, neglectful environment where personal space and hygiene were completely compromised, and food and drinkable water were scarce.
She said, ‘It’s filthy. It’s absolutely disgusting.’ Another call on Sunday from Sayeh revealed that she was temporarily brought back to Evin to retrieve her belongings. Per the account given by her relative, she described a grim atmosphere of ‘death’ that filled her senses. Uncertainty hangs on the whereabouts of the family of Ali Younesi, whose father and younger sibling have been serving out lengthy sentences at Evin.
Ali, a promising graduate from a prestigious technical university, has disappeared. He was serving a revised 16-year serving sentence for ‘plotting to commit crimes against national security,’ a charge heavily criticized by rights organizations. The Intelligence Ministry initiated a new case against him. Shortly before the Evin strike, he was forcibly taken from his ward to an unknown place. His father saw no sign of him after the missile strike.
Mehraveh Khandan, belonging to a family of political activists and herself living in Amsterdam, grew worried over her father’s fate post the strike. Though her father later confirmed he was safe but was crammed into an insect-infested cell at the Grand Tehran Penitentiary. The war, she worried, had wiped out whatever progress activists had made.