Prisoners in three sections of Ghezel Hessar Prison in Karaj are reportedly on hunger strike in a protest against prison management.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) says it has learned that that the new head of Section 2 of the prison is a former guard who shot at prisoners and killed a number of inmates in a riot more than a year ago.
In March of 2012, the prisoners in Section 2 took control of their section for a few hours in protest against their mistreatment and the lack of facilities in the prison. Prison authorities refused to negotiate with the prisoners, choosing instead to attack them with Special Forces, which left seven prisoners dead and some wounded.
After the incident, 30 prisoners were transferred to solitary.
Ghezel Hessar Prison, which holds inmates convicted of drug-related offences, is considered one of the biggest prisons in the Middle East.
This facility has been plagued by reports of bad sanitary conditions and the mistreatment of inmates by prison officials.
