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| The implications of Iran’s prison riots |
Iran, March 31, 2020—The past week has seen riots in many Iranian prisons. It started in Khoramabad and Aligoudarz, followed by Tabriz and Saqqez. On Saturday night the wave of prison riots reached Hamedan and Mahabad prisons. On Sunday night it was the turn of Adelabad Prison of Shiraz. On Monday, there were reports of riots in Ahvaz prison.
The incidents are taking place against the backdrop of the worsening coronavirus outbreak, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 14,200 people. Iran’s prisons, in particular, are hit badly as humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate.
Prison escapes, a sign of dissolution
While the regime’s forces seemed to be on high alert after the first prison riot broke out, the continued rebellion in prisons and the escape of prisoners shows the regime instability and its failure to maintain its hold on the situation.
This can also be seen as the other side of the coin which shows the regime’s failure in imposing its force on its larger prisoner population, the Iranian society, a society that is on the verge of bursting from anger.
The Iranian society is another example of big prisons made by the mullahs by imposing economic pressure, suppression, harsh suffocation and now the coronavirus crisis has been added to it.
