The prisoners of Rajaei Shahr prison are being forced to participate in the presidential election
10-June-2021
Category: Uncategorized
10-June-2021
Newsgroup: Prisoners –
Breathing in Confinement: On June 9, 2021, Heshmatollah Hayat al-Gheib, the Director General of the Tehran Prisons Organization, went to Rajaei Shahr Prison and announced to all prisoners that participation in the presidential election was mandatory.
According to Breathing in Confinement, the news organ of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, Heshmatollah Hayat al-Gheib attended a meeting with the heads of various sections in Rajaei Shahr Prison and told that all prisoners have to participate in the presidential election. And in response to the prisoners’ protest, the director general of Tehran Prisons Organization said that “participation in the elections does not require a fingerprint, and that the prisoner’s national identity numbers are recorded in their personal file.”
“It is not unlikely that ballot papers be issued for each of 2,500 prisoners in Rajaei Shahr prison. Even if the prisoners refuse to vote, the officials are planning to vote on their behalf,” said an informed source to the reporter of Breathing in Confinement.
While participating in elections is a personal choice, the authorities of Islamic Republic, contrary to international conventions, use their access to prisoners’ personal data as a mean to either entice or threaten them to vote.