Iranian female prisoners demand halt of sexual abuse

Twenty-two female political and ideological prisoners in Tehran’s Evin Prison have released an open letter demanding an immediate halt to the sexual harassment of inmates during body searches.

Recent reports have shed light on incidents of sexual assault and abuse within Iran’s prison system.

In late May this year, a source close to the families of political prisoners revealed that female prison guards sexually assaulted the wife of a political prisoner during a body search.

While technology exists to conduct non-invasive scans, Akvanian said, Iranian prisons continue to allow invasive procedures that can result in sexual harassment. Akvanian doubted the Islamic Republic’s judiciary's willingness to address these violations, citing past neglect and the stepped-up sentences faced by activists who report such abuses.

A March 2024 report from the UN’s Independent Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on Iran confirmed instances of sexual violence, including gang rape and forced nudity inflicted upon those detained during Iran’s nationwide Women, Life, Freedom protests following Mahsa Amini's death in police custody in 2022.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Narges Mohammadi, imprisoned in Evin and one of the signatories of the letter, faced new charges earlier this year after exposing incidents of sexual harassment against detained women.

Last year Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International released reports detailing sexual assault by agents of the IRGC, Basij, Ministry of Intelligence, and various police departments against women, men, and children during the protests following Amini's death.