Rising Concern Among Families After Political Prisoners Transferred to Unknown Locations
7-March-2026
Category: Repression
3 March 2026
News outlet: Repression
Breathing in Confinement — Growing concern has emerged regarding the physical condition and safety of political prisoners following their transfer to undisclosed locations.
According to Breathing in Confinement, the news outlet of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, reports received indicate that a number of political prisoners from Ward 209 have been removed from the prison and transferred to an unknown location. This sudden move, carried out without any official notification, has triggered widespread concern and anxiety among the prisoners’ families.
According to these reports, the transfer was carried out without prior notice to families and without allowing contact with lawyers or relatives. This is despite the fact that bail orders had reportedly been issued for the temporary release of several of these prisoners. Instead of being released, however, they were transferred to an unknown location under unclear circumstances and in complete isolation.
Families have expressed serious concern about the physical condition and safety of their loved ones, stressing that the lack of transparency regarding the prisoners’ whereabouts and detention conditions increases the risk of serious harm. The sudden transfer outside established legal procedures—particularly in the absence of any official explanation from authorities—has further intensified these concerns.
Reports have also emerged indicating that some political prisoners may have been transferred to facilities affiliated with military institutions, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). According to these reports, there are concerns that prisoners could be used as “human shields,” a development that has further heightened alarm among families and human rights advocates. The reports have generated significant reactions among relatives of the prisoners and human rights activists, contributing to a tense atmosphere.
Previously, similar reports had also surfaced regarding the transfer of prisoners from other cities, including Isfahan, suggesting a broader pattern of sudden transfers carried out without notification.
Under these circumstances, families of the prisoners and human rights organisations are calling for immediate clarification regarding the prisoners’ whereabouts, their health condition, and guarantees for their safety, while emphasising the need to respect their legal rights.