Relocation of Alborz Prisons in Limbo

Four prisons in Alborz Province, all of which are located in residential areas in the populous province to the east of Tehran, threaten people’s emotional security.

A large number of inmates from other provinces are serving time in the province, many of whom have relocated their families to live on the fringes of the city and province until they complete their sentences.

Besides, the prisons’ proximity to urban and residential areas violates the laws of urban planning that clearly stress the necessity of relocating prisons outside city limits.

Article one of the Law on Relocation of Prisons tasks Iran Prisons Organization to transfer the ownership of prisons to the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, ISNA reported.

The ministry in turn is responsible to buy land outside urban areas, build jails and transfer their deeds to the IPO within 10 years.

The budget for this purpose can be made available from the sale of urban prison properties. Transfer of non-local convicts, relocating prisons and repurposing former penitentiaries in Alborz has been under regular discussion for the past four years.

According to Alborz governor-general, Hamid Tahaei, following President Hassan Rouhani’s tour of Alborz in March, meetings with officials from the Justice Ministry, Management and Planning Organization and IPO have been held to address the issue of moving the detention centers.

“All sides agree that the number of non-local convicts must be reduced. For instance, prisoners from Tehran must serve their terms in Tehran prisons,” he said.

Tahaei says the municipality of Karaj—the provincial capital—has expressed readiness to help relocate the prisons but has faced problems with the IPO.

Neither the municipality nor the IPO has commented on the issue or say what are the diversionary issues .

Fathollah Haghighi, deputy for political, security and social affairs at the Alborz Governorate, said that two measures have been taken to address the issue.

“Our short-term policy is to reduce the number of non-local inmates, and we’ve done well so far in this regard. Our medium-term policy targets the relocation of prisons, which is being discussed at the Supreme Security Council.” Due to insufficient and oftentimes contradictory data from officials, it is unclear when the province’s prisons will finally move outside the fast developing city.

There are four prisons in Alborz, namely Qezel Hesar and the Central Prison in the west, Gohardasht (Rajaei Shahr) Prison in the northeast and Fardis Prison to the east.