Iran: At least 1,000 detained protesters at risk of torture

Official statements have confirmed that at least 22 people, including two security officers, have been killed since 28 December, when thousands of Iranians began flocking to the streets to speak out against poverty, corruption and political repression.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested and detained in jails notorious for torture and other ill-treatment over the past seven days, with many denied access to their families and lawyers.

The Human Rights Activist News Agency has reported that in Tehran’s Evin Prison alone, the authorities registered at least 423 detainees during 31 December and 1 January.

Many of the hundreds of detainees are believed to be held in overcrowded conditions in the “quarantine section” of Evin, which only has capacity for approximately 180 people.

Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Middle East research and advocacy director, said: “All detainees should be protected from torture and other ill-treatment.

“Given the alarming scale of the current wave of arrests, it is highly likely that many of those held are peaceful protesters who have been detained arbitrarily and now find themselves in prisons where conditions are dire and torture is a common tool to extract confessions and punish dissidents.

“Those suspected of criminal conduct should be promptly charged with a recognisable criminal offence and tried in proceedings which meet international standards for fair trial or released. Their legal status and exact whereabouts should also be immediately disclosed to their families.

“The Iranian government must promptly launch an effective and independent investigation into the killings and other reports of excessive or unnecessary force, and bring all those responsible for human rights violations to justice.”