Before the Israeli bombing, Evin Prison held many political prisoners. They were in extremely cramped, unhealthy and repressive conditions, but sections of prisoners had developed very significant support networks inside and outside the prison. This was especially true of the political prisoners of the women’s ward, which for years had been a beacon of defiance and played an extraordinarily courageous role in being some of the most outspoken resisters to the IRI’s misogynistic regime, a thorn in the side diminishing the international political clout of the IRI. This could be seen before, during and after the 2022-2023 Woman, Life, Freedom uprising as the women’s ward held several protests and issued many rebellious statements.

Although many prisoners are not yet accounted for, it is known that prisoners were beaten during the Israeli bombing, and afterwards forcibly transferred in handcuffs. It is reported the women were sent to Qarchak Prison south of Tehran, and the men to Greater Tehran Penitentiary. Recently a report appeared on the support network of political prisoner Anisha Asadollahi, based on a phone call, that was published on IG:

Qarchak Prison in Varamin [County], where political women have now been transferred, houses thousands of women… For women who have been in this prison for years with long sentences, the constant malnutrition, the exorbitant prices of health and essential goods in the prison store, and constant discrimination such as restrictions on telephone calls, restrictions on clothing, and the humiliating treatment of officers, especially in the guard officer's office, are part of an endless and exhausting nightmare. The lives and health of all these women in Qarchak Prison are at risk…. Political prisoners must be released immediately and unconditionally. Their voices must not be allowed to be silenced.

As far as the male prisoners transferred from Evin, the human rights lawyers’ group Dadban reported:

An informed source told the court that the prisoners transferred to the Greater Tehran Prison (including political and [other] prisoners) are currently all being held in halls with a capacity of 30 to 40, with the number of people in these halls [now] being between 100 and 120, and this severe overcrowding has made the health and security situation extremely dangerous for the prisoners. These halls have only one refrigerator and 5 gas burners….

This could facilitate disappearances or various kinds of harm to political prisoners whose current health and well-being are still unknown after the transfer from Evin. For example, on June 26, Burn the Cage, Free the Birds movement posted about political prisoner Mehran Raouf, who was one of the 9 signers of a letter posted at IEC website against Israel’s genocide in Gaza:

Mehran Raouf, a political prisoner held in Evin prison for nearly six years without a single day of leave, has been transferred to Greater Tehran Penitentiary (Fashafouyeh Prison) along with other male prisoners. Mehran Raouf and all political prisoners must be released immediately. Political prisoners in Evin are living in very poor conditions after being transferred to Greater Tehran and Qarchak prisons, without basic living conditions. Let's be their voice.

Heightened Arrests/Repression inside Iran

The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) cites credible reports that as many as 1,000 have been rounded up in Tehran.⁴ Since Israel began its aggression or shortly before, eight individuals have been hanged on alleged espionage charges.

The human rights group HRANA reported that Iranian security forces have arrested at least 286 people for expressing opinions related to recent events and charged them with online propaganda against the regime. Security roadblocks are stopping vehicles to check for people who may have used their phones to photograph war damages.

A spokesman for Iran’s Judiciary stated in Mehr News (a semi-official IRI news agency) that the current provisions in Iran’s Penal Code regarding espionage are inadequate for countering “modern spy techniques,” and that Iran’s parliament plans to provide the judiciary with broader authority to impose deterrent punishments on supposed spies. The proposed laws will include vague and overly broad descriptions of espionage and could even impose the death penalty for such activities as social media posts.

Trump Fascist Regime Terrorizes Iranian and ALL Immigrants

Over the past week, news reports in the U.S. emerged of ICE's vicious kidnappings of numerous Iranian immigrants, including in the large Iranian neighborhood of Tehrangeles (near UCLA in West Los Angeles). This went hand in hand with the military aggression on Iran by the U.S. and Israel. Over 130 were rounded up recently, with at least 670 Iranian nationals in ICE detention. It should be noted that the U.S. government has historically treated immigrants in relation to its imperialist needs/interests in their country of origin and not due to any “good vs. bad” citizenship status/behavior in the US. Consider the historical fact of Executive Order 9066 that sent 120,000 Japanese people to internal U.S. concentration camps during WWII, the majority U.S. citizens, many middle class. There have been calls for citizens to report their suspicions of U.S.-based Iranians, echoing the Nazi Germany campaign for people to report Jews — or that against Japanese people in the U.S. during WWII.

Those detained by ICE include “Iranian asylum-seekers who fled the Islamic Republic… despite having what lawyers and advocates consider credible-fear cases pending in court,” reported NBC. “Many of the asylum-seekers are Christians who fled Iran and its intolerant views toward non-Muslim religions. … The sudden detentions have prompted some Iranians to go on hunger strikes in custody and triggered at least one medical emergency during an attempted arrest.”

The USA#1 jingoism/social chauvinism is very threatening to lives here and around the world and must be fought against. In closing, note the Trumpist ghoul Stephen Miller imprint as exposed in the June 27 Paul Street Report “Press Release from Refuse Fascism's Washington DC Chapter on Today's Supreme Court Decision to Unleash Mein Trumpf…”:

The fascist gangster Trump has posted a "Bomb Iran" parody clip, of the Beach Boys' 1965 song (including the lyric “turn Iran into a parking lot”), showing the B-2 bombers that inflicted US strikes on Iranian “nuclear weapons” sites five days ago.

Any attacks on Iran, and on Iranians living in the U.S., must be actively opposed and resisted as part of the struggle to unseat the Trump regime. Actively protest all the savage ICE/police terror on the immigrant communities across this country, including Iranians.

Now more than ever, the conclusion of IEC’s Emergency Appeal issued and published in 2021 with over 5000 signers from 50 countries stands out: In the U.S., we have a special responsibility to unite very broadly against this vile repression by the IRI, and to actively oppose any war moves by the U.S. government that would bring even more unbearable suffering to the people of Iran.

‍We demand of the Islamic Republic of Iran: FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS NOW!
We say to the U.S. government: NO THREATS OR WAR MOVES AGAINST IRAN! LIFT U.S. SANCTIONS!‍

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FOOTNOTES:

1. This is the official number from the Iranian regime as of this writing (June 29). The regime has not publicized  all the survivors, causing continuing stress among families and supporters of prisoners.  

2. See “U.S. Bombs Iran—Illegitimate Act of War By Illegitimate Fascist Regime, Madman Trump Threatens Even More Death and Destruction, Posing Catastrophic Danger to Humanity: Trump MUST GO NOW!,” revcom.us, June 23, 2025.

3. For historical background, see Resource page on Repression, Resistance and the Potential for Revolution in Iran, revcom.us, Updated March 2, 2025.  

4. “Iran Launches Sweeping Crackdown: Hundreds Detained, Executions Underway”, iranhumanrights.org, June 26, 2025.

  _______________

“We express our deep concern about the unjust and inhumane situation of political and ideological prisoners.”

A statement by a group of prominent individuals was posted by the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, currently on medical furlough from Evin Prison. Signers include former political prisoners Nahid Taghavi and Atena Daemi, as well as world renowned Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof. Below is the post text in full. 

History shows that authoritarian regimes often use wars and external crises as a pretext to intensify repression at home. Wars bring devastation and grave human rights violations. The Israeli attack on Evin Prison — carried out in broad daylight, in front of families and visitors — is clearly a war crime.

While Iranians are still reeling from the recent conflict, a new wave of arrests has begun. Reports indicate that many detentions happen without due process, legal justification, or evidence. In many cases, the standard accusation is “espionage.” Yet history, experience, and even statements by former and current Islamic Republic officials reveal that the power structure itself — not ordinary people — has long been infiltrated by foreign intelligence.

Instead of transparency and accountability, the authorities continue to use security-driven measures to tighten control in this post-war moment. Many families have no information about where their loved ones are being held. Prisoners from Evin’s general wards have been transferred to other prisons around Tehran, often in harsh and inhumane conditions. No official information has been released about those previously held in solitary confinement or security wards.

We, the undersigned, express our deep concern about the unjust and inhumane situation of political and ideological prisoners. We demand an immediate halt to executions, an end to the security crackdown, and the unconditional release of all political and ideological prisoners.

Aras Amiri, Mahnaz Parakand, Jafar Panahi, Nahid Taghavi, Mohammad Habibi, Atena Daemi, Vida Rabbani, Mohammad Rasoulof, Amir Raeisian, Nazanin Zaghari, Abdolfattah Soltani, Mohammad Seifzadeh, Attaollah Shirazi, Arash Sadeghi, Shirin Ebadi, Mohammad Karimbeygi (father of Mostafa Karimbeygi), Maryam Claren, Narges Mohammadi, Fatemeh Maleki (wife of Mohammad Nourizad), Akram Neghabi (mother of Saeed Zeinali), Pouran Nazemi, Farzaneh Nazaranpour.