Qarchak Prison—it’s been called one of the most notorious facilities in Iran. Why is it so infamous?

It really lives up to that reputation. Qarchak is the only all-women’s prison in Iran, located in Varamin, about 35 kilometers southeast of Tehran. But it’s far from being a place of rehabilitation. Overcrowding, filthy living conditions, and the mistreatment of inmates make it a living nightmare.

And we’re talking about political prisoners here too, right?

Yes, many inmates are political prisoners or activists who’ve committed no crime other than speaking out. But they’re lumped in with dangerous criminals. It’s a blatant violation of the principle of separating prisoners by crime type, and the regime does it deliberately.

Why would they do that?

To pile on the pressure. It’s psychological torture. Imagine being a political prisoner and having to fear attacks from violent criminals constantly. The regime essentially uses these criminals to intimidate and even harm activists. It’s a way to kill or severely injure political prisoners without taking the blame.

Welcome to the NCRI Women’s Committee podcast. As always, we are here to amplify the voices of women in Iran and shed light on the struggles they face under the clerical regime. Today, we delve into one of the most horrifying and systemic issues plaguing Iranian women: femicide and honor killings.

To begin, let us remember Ghazaaleh Hodoodi, a 27-year-old mother from Sanandaj, whose life was tragically cut short just last week. This young woman’s story is heartbreaking, and her case is emblematic of the institutionalized violence women endure daily in Iran.

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Could you tell us more about Ghazaaleh’s story and what makes her case particularly significant?

Certainly. Ghazaaleh Hodoodi was a resilient young mother raising her 11-year-old daughter, Niyan, as a single parent. She worked as a tailor to support her family after divorcing her husband, who spent most of his life in prison. Tragically, her attacker, Sirvan Sa'edpanah, had harassed her repeatedly after she declined his marriage proposals. On the evening of December 25, he entered her shop with a bottle of gasoline and set her on fire. Despite her desperate attempt to escape and the efforts of her family to save her, Ghazaaleh succumbed to her injuries two days later.

What makes this case even more disturbing is that Sirvan Sa'edpanah is affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), highlighting the impunity that many perpetrators enjoy under the regime. Meanwhile, Ghazaaleh’s daughter, Niyan, is now in the custody of her paternal family, leaving her future uncertain.

Welcome to the NCRI Women’s Committee podcast. In today’s episode, we dive into one of the most pressing issues of women in Iran—the Iranian regime’s retreat from enforcing its controversial new mandatory hijab law. This is an issue that affects millions of lives and highlights both the resilience of Iranian women and the regime’s weakness.

The announcement of the enforcement of the law on November 27 created a strong backlash, a wave of protests, extensive graffiti on the walls, and operations by Resistance Units across the country in the name of “Women, Resistance, Freedom” to confront the regime’s repressive measure against women. Various sectors of society that held protests changed slogans demanding freedom of choice for women’s dress code.

This law and now its temporary suspension by the regime’s Supreme National Security Council highlight not only the regime’s struggles to maintain control but also the threats it faces from a volatile and extremely discontented society.