Hell on Earth: Inside Iran’s Zahedan Central Prison in Balochistan

The screams echo through concrete corridors. Inside one of Iran’s most notorious prisons, over 2,000 inmates are crammed into cells meant to hold just a few hundred.

This is Zahedan Central Prison, Balochistan where hope goes to die.

Days after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, as the world recoils at images of Syria’s Seydnaya prison, Iranian survivors recognize a horror all too familiar.

The photographs coming out of Syria serve as a grim reminder of the relentless brutality that persists in Iran’s Zahedan Prison, where torture continues unabated using similar methods.

Behind its fortress-like walls on Daneshjoo Street, prisoners are crammed into cells – sometimes three, sometimes five bodies per cell – where only one should be.

Under warden Morteza Piri’s reign, following the equally brutal tenure of Mohammad Hossein Khosravi, accounts of torture seep out like blood from beneath a closed door..

Known for its high execution rates, Zahedan Central Prison was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2021 for severe human rights violations, including executions, torture, and inhumane conditions for both political and common prisoners.

The lack of medical care in the prison contributes to countless deaths. One such case was Jamshid Gorgij, a protester detained during the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in Zahedan. He died from cardiac arrest last winter, a direct result of medical neglect.

Beyond the eight wards for general crime, Ward 9 is operated by Zahedan’s intelligence agency and reserved for political and ideological prisoners.

Many detainees from the 2022 protests were held in this ward after enduring torture and interrogations in the city’s security detention centers.

Information obtained by IranWire reveals that prison and security detention officials rely on sleep deprivation, starvation, restricted phone access, and cold temperatures as torture methods, mainly targeting political prisoners.

A Baluch citizen, speaking to IranWire on the condition of anonymity, described the cruel treatment faced by prisoners on hunger strikes.

“They beat them with polycarbonate pipes and stun batons, chained them, and denied them bathroom access until they were forced to end their strike,” recounted the citizen who was detained in the prison.

“You don’t get to make phone calls. Maybe twice a week, they allow you to make a call, but even then, they don’t let you talk properly.”

“When you try to speak, the manager of Ward 9 sits there and says, ‘Hurry up, don’t talk, keep it brief, hang up.’ You’re not allowed to discuss the prison. If you even mention which ward you’re in, they immediately disconnect the call.”

Another former political prisoner recounted his time in Zahedan prison, following solitary confinement and interrogations at the Intelligence detention center.

“They called it solitary confinement, but it was more like quarantine. When you arrive at Zahedan prison, you’re held there until assigned to a ward,” he said.

“It was a 12-square-meter room crammed with over 20 people, with one toilet for all. There were no blankets, and the single meal was shared among three prisoners to keep us hungry.”

Ward 9, located in the prison’s basement, has conditions worse than those in other wards. Unlike some other Iranian jails, such as Tehran’s Evin Prison, which offers relatively better conditions for political prisoners, the situation in Ward 9 is dire.

A source told IranWire that the air in the ward is stifling, with no hot water, and prison guards shave prisoners’ heads and beards as a form of humiliation – many inmates in the ward even memorize the Quran.

Zahedan Prison is not alone in its systemic violations of prisoners’ rights.

Information obtained by IranWire indicates that conditions in the Ministry of Intelligence detention centers, located behind the city’s news headquarters and other detention facilities in Zahedan, are similarly inhumane and unlivable.

A former political prisoner described the conditions in one of the Ministry of Intelligence detention cells to IranWire.

“The solitary cell I was in was a two-by-three-meter room with a mat, a blanket, and a toilet. The cell had a fan that was incredibly noisy. When you tried to sleep, they would turn it on just to disturb you, preventing you from resting.”

The former political prisoner also explained that the Zahedan Intelligence Detention Center has three general wards. The largest is nicknamed the “One-Pillar Hotel” due to a single pillar in the middle of the room.

Surveillance cameras monitor all wards and solitary cells. The bathrooms and showers lack doors, forcing detainees to use towels for privacy.

Though food, hygiene, and medical care may be somewhat better in this detention center than in Zahedan Prison, the physical and psychological torment is so severe that many detainees prefer to be transferred to Zahedan Prison.

“Not a day went by without hearing someone crying or wailing. They would tie detainees face-down on a metal bed they called the ‘miracle bed’ and whip the soles of their feet with thick electric cables.”

“They also used stun guns. Each detainee was allowed one phone call in Persian, lasting only 30 seconds. They couldn’t reveal their location and could only say, ‘I’m fine.'”

Another former prisoner, who has been detained twice, told IranWire about being denied sleep and bathroom access during his time in solitary confinement.

“The cell was full of cockroaches and ants, and to use the toilet, you had to leave the cell. Often, the guards wouldn’t allow it. They wouldn’t let you sleep, saying you couldn’t rest until they permitted it. You had no idea what time it was. The light was so dim it felt like a graveyard.”

The source also recounted being beaten during transfers for interrogations.

“They insulted us constantly, calling us savages and humiliating us. It was impossible to be taken for questioning without having your head or body slammed against the wall.”

A Zahedani citizen who was once detained by the police intelligence unit compared the facility to Syria’s Saydnaya Prison. He was falsely accused of murder and subjected to brutal torture to force a confession.

“At 9 p.m., they would take me for torture, hang me up, and shock me with a stun gun until I was on the brink of death. They specifically targeted my ears and arms. When I passed out, they would lower me down.”

He described how they lit a gas camp stove under his feet to force a confession.

Speaking about the solitary confinement cell, he said, “It was so small I couldn’t even stretch my legs. I had only an undershirt, which I used as a prayer mat. In the mornings, they gave me a small piece of butter and some bread, but the torture left me unable to eat.”

Eventually, he was coerced into confessing under extreme duress. After being sentenced to death and later released on bail after serving time, he told IranWire that many inmates in his ward were innocent, their confessions extracted through torture.

“Conditions in the prison were brutal, but they endured such hardship outside that they were grateful just to have food to eat inside.”

Human rights lawyers have repeatedly condemned Iranian laws that treat confessions as primary evidence in court. They argue that detention conditions, torture, and forced confessions are the direct result of a legal system that relies on such admissions.

Zahedan’s detention centers and prison have long been in the crosshairs of human rights organizations.

Recently, the Baluch Activists Campaign reported widespread deprivation of basic amenities for inmates in Zahedan Prison. The report called the conditions “critical,” highlighting the lack of blankets and heating in winter, leaving prisoners in poor physical and mental health.

One prisoner said, “It’s so bad we wish for death.”