According to reports, tens of thousands of Iranians are being held in ‘black box’ detention centers without judicial oversight, official documents and without any way for families to confirm whether their loved ones are alive.
The facilities – which the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) says they are modeled on 1980s prison camps – have sparked alarm among human rights activists amid unrest across the country.
“These sites were initially used in Iran in the 1980s and were residential complexes in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, west of Tehran,” he added.
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The state tax building burned down during Iran’s protests, on a street in Tehran, Iran, January 19, 2026. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)
“Female prisoners affiliated with MEK (Mujahedin-e Khalq) were locked up and subjected to torture,” he added, describing how women were “forced to live in coffin-like boxes or sit in squatting positions, deprived of sleep and food.”
“If they spoke, they were beaten. We have heard that similar prisons are being used today, operating outside the formal Iranian prison system,” he said.
Iranian authorities have reportedly used these unofficial detention sites for interrogation during the protests, where detainees are held without registration or access to legal advice.
The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) described the facilities as “among the most serious concerns the organization has documented.”
In a new report, CHRI warned that when inmates are removed from the formal prison system, they essentially disappear into these locations.
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Military members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in western Tehran, Iran (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
There is no paper trail and no legal oversight, making individuals highly vulnerable to abuse.
CHRI said the risk of torture, forced confessions, sexual abuse and deaths in custody in these facilities is extreme.
Outside the facilities, families are often left traumatized after spending days outside courts and prisons denying they are holding their children, the report said.
“The precise locations of these black box sites are unknown, which is part of their function,” Safavi said.
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Iranian security forces escalated from pellet guns to live ammunition during protests. (Getty)
“This ensures total isolation and no access or contact. Officers inside can use any method they choose, just like in Ghezel Hesar prison in the 1980s,” he explained.
“The clandestine sites eliminate witnesses and prevent documentation that could lead to leaks,” Safavi said.
The findings come amid reports of escalating executions in Iran following recent protests, in which thousands of people were killed at the hands of the clerical regime.
The Press agency for human rights activists (HRANA) reported Monday that at least seventeen prisoners were executed across Iran in a two-day period.
The CHRI report came as Iranians living in exile in Europe gathered to protest the regime and as others commemorated the 40th day since the January 2026 uprising.
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At the same time, the HANA Human Rights Organization said at least 24 children, including a three-year-old child, were killed by direct fire from security forces during nationwide protests.
