Beginning of the Hunger Strike and Sewing of Lips
According to an informed source, a female prisoner in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad started a hunger strike and sewed her lips shut on Thursday, July 18, 2024, in protest against the brutal torture inflicted upon her. This prisoner, referred to as “Mrs. N,” is a mother of four and was sentenced to prison after an unfair trial related to Golbahar Mehr Housing. She has now been in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad for nearly a year.
Deprivation of Legal Rights
The prison authorities have deprived “Mrs. N” of her legal right to three days of leave per month. She wanted to see her children and being denied her rightful leave, began a hunger strike in protest.
Torture and Transfer to Solitary Confinement
The director of the women’s ward at Vakilabad Prison and a female prison guard named Salari took her to a filthy stone cell without food or water. For 30 hours, her hands were bound behind her back with iron handcuffs, and her legs were tightly bound, causing her wrists to become bruised and swollen. She is also denied access to necessary medical facilities.
Family Complaints and Lack of Response
“Mrs. N’s” family has filed complaints with all relevant authorities, including the Chief Justice of Khorasan Razavi Province, the Prosecutor of Mashhad, the Prison Oversight Inspectorate, and the Prison Supervising Judge, but they have received no response. The prison authorities support the head of the women’s ward and the prison guards. The Prison Supervising Judge told her family, “I will use my authority to ensure your daughter does not get leave.”
Psychological and Physical Pressure
This female prisoner is under psychological and physical torture. Prison authorities have deprived her of meeting her family, and when her mother, after much effort, succeeded in meeting her, she could only see her daughter in the presence of a female prison guard. She was told that she had no right to talk about the hunger strike or the torture, or else her visit would be canceled.