Evin Prison, Tehran, Iran
Although the Iranian regime has continuously denied it, Evin Prison is known to be a virtual torture factory, where countless numbers of inmates have met their fate. Due to the number of intellectuals imprisoned within its walls, the prison has been nicknamed Evin University. The prison is extremely overcrowded, hygiene is poor and in Iran’s sweltering hot summers, the temperature can reach up to 45 degrees Celsius. There is no form of air conditioning, and the air within cells becomes rank with sweat and human waste. Water quality is bad and barely edible food comes in meagre portions. Medical facilities are virtually non-existent. The whole process is designed to break the resolve of political prisoners, where pressure for a confession continues until the captive breaks their silence. To add to all the anguish, contact with the outside world is completely cut off. Family visits and telephone calls are forbidden, and even the guards are ordered to be silent.