18 Oct 2009

A prisoner committed suicide

According to a recent report, a prisoner committed suicide in Ward 1 of Gohardasht Prison in Karaj (west of Tehran), after inhumane pressure and treatment.

The prisoner was 24 year old Reza Rezaee. He had spent over four years in prison. He was only one month away from being released when he committed suicide. The savage treatment he received (other prisoners continue to receive this treatment) made life in prison unbearable for this young man.

On Thursday October 15, 2009, Reza Rezaee committed suicide. He was found by one of his inmates. They transferred Reza to the prison's health section. Rezaee's brother was executed in one of the mass-executions two months ago.

The suicide rate at Gohardasht Prison's Ward 1 is very high, mainly due to the high amount of physical and psychological torture, savage treatment, and inhumane living conditions. This ward is nicknamed, "The Ending Ward."

The average age of those who commit suicide at the prison is between 18-38 years old.

Activists for Human Rights and Democracy in Iran (AHRDI) condemn the savage and inhumane pressure placed on prisoners that result in suicides. AHRDI asks the UN Commissioner for Human Rights to send a committee to Iranian prisons to monitor what is happening.