The ambassadors of 45 countries were surprised to see the ‘suitable’ conditions in a prison portrayed by world media as a notorious one.
Kazem Gharib-Abadi, the deputy head of the Iranian Judiciary’s Human Rights Office, said the tour was aimed at showing foreign ambassadors that the image portrayed of the Iranian prisons by certain countries and media is a false and untrue one.
Iran wants the foreign envoys to visit the prison in person and make a fair judgement about the way the Islamic Republic behaves towards its prisoners, he noted.
During the tour, the ambassadors were briefed on the cultural activities in Evin Prison as well as the vocational classes prisoners can take including hairdressing, car repair, computer, sewing, carpentry, and mushroom planting.
According to Mohebbi, the head of Tehran Prisons Organization, the prisoners can work in sewing and carpentry workshops and receive salary for what they do. 50% of the wage is directly paid to their families, 25% to the inmate, and the remaining 25% will be paid to them whenever they are released.
The prisoners, Mohebbi said, are free to call their family members using the phone booths inside the prison. They are also provided with all kinds of newspapers and journals.
He also noted that prisoners can have private meetings with their family members in person once in a week.
Here are photos of the foreign ambassadors’ visit to Evin Prison:
