Two female prisoners dead at Iran’s Qarchak prison

Al-Arabia – Two female prisoners who were held at Iran’s Qarchak prison, known as the most dangerous and worst prison in the country, have died by suicide over the last ten days with another one surviving a suicide attempt, according to a rights group.

HRANA identified the prisoner as Monireh Bahrami.

Bahrami, who was arrested three months ago, was also suspected of having a coronavirus infection, HRANA said.

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Bahrami’s took her own life “due to the pressures in the prison,” HRANA said.

Another female prisoner died by suicide after she was transferred to a psychiatric hospital in the capital Tehran, HRANA said. The prisoner died by suicide at the hospital, according to HRANA.

A third female prisoner survived a suicide attempt after she was transferred to a medical facility on time, the report said.

The two deaths and one attempt occurred in the past ten days, according to the report.

HRANA had previously published a detailed report about Qarchak prison saying it held the worst reputation among women’s prisons in Iran.

Jailed British-Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert who is serving a 10-year sentence on espionage charges in Iran has been moved to the prison, The Guardian reported earlier this week.

Moore-Gilbert was previously being held in Evin prison, another notorious institution in Tehran.

Iran confirmed her arrest in September 2019, but her family said she was detained months before that date, according to AFP.

In June, the United States Department of State reportedly listed Qarchak prison as an entity responsible for “extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.”

Al Arabiya English’s Joanne Serrieh contributed to this report.