Spraying Poison in Prison

Translated by Mandana Karimi

2025-5-29

[Narrated by Susan Haddad Adel] One day in Qasr Prison, they came to spray poison in the rooms. [1973] The officers came into the ward wearing special clothes and masks, but the way they sprayed was like spraying the garden; because without taking the prisoners from the prison to the yard, they started spraying the rooms in the same state. As a result of the spraying, many people fell into a coma and had seizures, and some were coughing non-stop. In such conditions, no matter how much we shouted and screamed, the guards did not come. We even tried to open the door to let in some fresh air, but the officers resisted, until in the afternoon of that day, with the screams of all the prisoners, they finally opened the doors and we went to the yard. The miracle was that the pesticide had no effect on me, and even though I was very weak and thin, I helped move people who were sick. In any case, we had a difficult and unforgettable day.

Source: Tavakoli, Faezeh (2010), Khaterat-e Zanan-e Mobarez (Memories of Fighting Women), Tehran: Oruj, p. 97.