Iran: Largest prison built to ramp up suppression

Construction of Iran’s largest prison in Tehran is finished, a regime official announced.

“The stages to build the largest prison in Tehran are finished and we are adding new spaces to this complex,” Mohammad Alizadeh said. “We needed a new prison.”

The new prison named the “Great Prison” is situated in Hassanabad district and can contain 15000 prisoners.

The advisor to the Interior Minister Reza Mahjoubi said, “The number of people entering our prisons is above world average and every year half a million people enter our prisons of whom 200000 remain there.” He nonetheless failed to mention the cause for this high number of prisoners.

The Iranian regime has the most dreaded prisons in the world and it tortures and persecutes its political dissidents.

Meanwhile, the regime’s Judiciary officials have said they plan to move prisons and military bases outside Tehran.

The mayor of Tehran said he hopes to transform the notorious Evin prison in Iran's capital into a public park, after receiving the judiciary's approval.

The prison, covering 43 hectares (106 acres) in the north of city, has thousands of inmates, including many of Iran's political prisoners.

Human rights activists say they have documented systematic abuses there.
Last year, the head of Iran's prison service was replaced after inmates at a special wing at Evin used to hold political prisoners, academics, intellectuals and journalists were badly beaten by guards.

Many commentators on news websites and social media were critical the plan presented by Tehran’s mayor who himself has boasted for his involvement in suppression of students protests and their torture and harassment.

One Facebook user said that the planned park "would reek of blood". "How can I walk in a park which is tied to the bitterest moments of my life," tweeted another.