Interview with Reza Khandan (Nasrin Sotoudeh husband)
Nasrin Sotoudeh and other prisoners at the time of Corona crisis
In the word of Reza Khandan (Nasrin Sotoudeh husband)
This interview was conducted by Nasrin Bassiri (N.B.) with Reza Khandan (R.K.)
N.B. Mr. Khandan, are you still to visit your wife in prison in the context of the Corona pandemic?
R.K. since the news of the virus spread in Iran face-to-face meeting has been suspended. Families can only talk on the phone, or behind the glass. Our conversation is being listened to, and that's not a guess. I know this from my personal experience. Once we talked about a specific issue. While we were talking, the prison liaison and the Ministry of Intelligence came quickly and reminded us which is a psychological or emotional pressure on us. We can't talk to each other easily in this type of meeting. And that's hard for kids too, because when we're together, we have no privacy.
N.B. Are disinfectants available to the prisoners?
R.K. Female political prisoners in Evin General Ward can buy health items from the prison store at their own expense provided that the store has these items. The last time I was in contact with my wife, they provided these Items but the rest of Evin and many other prisons do not have these sanitary items.
N.B. How is the condition of your wife and her cell mates and do they have a particular problem during these times?
R.K. There is always the concern that prisoners will be infected by agents who are carriers of the disease, or through contaminated equipment, or when they are sent to the health center, the court, the prosecutor's office, and so on. The arrival of new prisoners is also a big problem, and it is natural that those who carry the disease, their presence is very dangerous for other prisoners.
N. B. Do you know under by what criteria they give political prisoners leave and why that is not the case for your spouse?
R.K. According to the Judiciary's directive, prisoners who are sentenced to more than five years, will not be granted leave during Corona's tenure. My wife has a very heavy sentence. This sentence is so severe that the judge who issued the sentence was forced to deny it in an interview with the media. that is why she has not been granted leave so far. Of course, in general, regardless of the risk of illness, all prisoners have the right to be sent on leave, and this has nothing to do with their sentence.
N. B. What are the health and food conditions like in prison? Are there enough fruits and vegetables, especially in the current situation, so that prisoners do not suffer from vitamin deficiencies?
R.K. In the general ward of the women's prison, where political prisoners are held, the prison provides some of the raw materials, such as bread and beans, and the like, free of charge. But many basic supplies, such as fruits, vegetables, and toiletries, are purchased by inmates at the prison store at their own expense. And in the prison ward, they cook for themselves. Individual health supplies are also purchased by the prisoners themselves.
R. K. In Evin Women's Political Prison, the prison provides some of the raw materials, such as bread and beans, and the like, free of charge. But many of the raw materials and supplies are bought by prisoners from the prison store at their own expense. Such as fruits, vegetables, toiletries, personal items and other items.
N. B. Is the situation of families in a way that everyone can participate in buying these supplies? Or do some prisoners have to pay for food items for their fellow prisoners? What is the average monthly cost for a prisoner?
R. K. No one uses prison food in this ward. For this reason, the materials are provided in raw form to the women of Evin. The prisoners provide the surplus materials needed from the prison store with their money. Prisoners in this ward are often from middle-class families, and families send them money. People who can't afford to pay for such expenses are helped by others prisoners, or people from outside the prison. Of course, not all prisoners spend the same amount of money, some less and some more.
Source: https://iranjournal.org
