The Karun Human Rights Organization has received alarming reports indicating that more than half of the inmates held in Sheiban Central Prison in Ahwaz have suffered from severe diarrhea and vomiting as a result of food poisoning.
According to sources inside the prison, authorities have recently been serving chicken as the sole main meal to inmates. Prisoners report that the chicken provided was dark and brownish in color, suggesting that it may have been spoiled, diseased, or even dead before cooking. This has resulted in mass food poisoning among the incarcerated population.
Sheiban Prison, widely regarded as one of Iran’s most notorious detention facilities, has long faced a crisis of unsafe food and poor hygiene. Despite housing nearly 4,000 inmates, the prison has only one imprisoned doctor, one administrative-shift doctor, and one medical orderly responsible for medical care. This severe shortage of medical staff has caused delays and negligence in addressing the prisoners’ worsening health conditions.
Inmates have repeatedly raised concerns about the inadequate quality of food, unsafe drinking water, and lack of medical services in Sheiban Prison. However, these latest reports suggest that the situation has now reached a critical and life-threatening stage.
The Karun Human Rights Organization strongly condemns the authorities’ failure to provide safe food and adequate medical care to prisoners — a clear violation of international standards, including the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules). We call on Iranian authorities to take immediate action to address the health crisis in Sheiban Prison and ensure the protection of inmates’ right to life and health.
