After nine female political prisoners went on a hunger strike to protest against their mistreatment by prison guards, reports indicate that guards in the women’s ward of Evin Prison have been replaced.
Kaleme reports that all of the guards and officials and the head of the women’s section of Evin Prison have been transferred to Gharachak Prison.
Kaleme reports that the authorities have made the change in order to improve the situation in the women’s section and to “better respect the rights of prisoners in the future.”
Last week, nine Iranian political prisoners began a hunger strike after guards raided their cells and subjected them to bodily searches, which the women described as insulting.
The prisoners ended their strike after a week and prepared an official complaint, calling on authorities to confront the issue and take steps to stop such episodes from being repeated.
The prisoners who went on hunger strike have been given a disciplinary sentence of three weeks of solitary confinement with no visitation rights. However, the sentence has been suspended for six months.