Conditions in Iranian prisons, suffering from chronic overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions, have worsened while country reports record 24 hours toll of the virus cases.

Citing the risk of the Wuhan virus spreading in Iran prisons, UN Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet urged the regime to release detained human rights defenders, lawyers, political prisoners, and peaceful protestors.

Shortage of water and inadequate protective equipment, testing, isolation, and treatment has led to a spread of the virus among detainees, reportedly resulting in many deaths.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights underlined the responsibility of States to ensure the health and well-being of all individuals under their care, including those in prisons.

Under international human rights law, States are responsible for the well-being, as well as the physical and mental health of everyone in their care, including everyone deprived of their liberty, she said in a statement on Thursday.

It is hard to imagine that the regime can provide a reasonable standard of healthcare for prisoners when the economic crisis is once again shaking up with Iran. According to the Iranian opposition in exile, National Council of Resistance of Iran, on Thursday, the bakers hiked the price of bread by 50 per cent due to the flower shortages.

12,000 arrested during one protest

Iran has been suffering what the regime called the third wave of the pandemic, a record number of daily Wuhan virus-related deaths and new cases. Over the past 24 hours, 239 Wuhan virus patients have died, and 4,274 people are in critical condition.

UN specialists argued that it is unlikely that the health situation will improve in the short perspective. Therefore the political prisoners need to be released.

People detained solely for their political views or other forms of activism in support of human rights should not be imprisoned at all. Such prisoners should certainly not be treated more harshly or placed at greater risk, Ms. Bachelet added.

The authors of the recent report on the political prisoners in Iran, released by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, indicated that the regime imprisoned at least 12,000 participants of the protests in November 2019.