Family members wait and worry outside prison

TEHRAN — The mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters wait.

They sip tea, amble around, look at their watches and stare at the posted lists of names, about 700 or 800 of them.

They arrived early outside Evin Prison, the notorious complex of buildings in northern Tehran where most of the Iranians arrested in the recent unrest have been locked up.

By 8 a.m., dozens have gathered, standing around the entrance or sitting on brown plastic chairs after wiping away the dew.

They hold pay vouchers or shop licenses to use as collateral to bail out family members and friends. Many were called late the previous night and told to come here.

But no one is there to tell them where to go or what to do.

One man approaches the gate of a shuttered general courthouse near the prison entrance.

A kindly soldier approaches. "My dear father," he says. "You must go to the Revolutionary Court on Moallem Street. They will say where and when your child will be released."

Some families split up. Sister and brother go to Moallem Street. Mother and father stand in front of Evin just in case, keeping in touch via cellphones, which have begun to work again after spotty service during the protests.

There is little to do while waiting. In front of the courthouse, a blue-roofed trailer serves as a little shop, selling tea bags and hot water in disposable cups and offering photocopying services for documents such as birth certificates.

Sheets of paper bearing the handwritten names of those held inside are taped on the outside of the trailer. They flutter in the breeze. Visitors strain their eyes to read the names of those arrested Saturday, when the capital burned.

The names of those arrested earlier are typed up, along with the name of the courthouse where they will be tried, and stuck on the glass panes of the courthouse next to Evin.

Massoud, the elderly father of a prisoner named Saman Sahrai, and his wife look for traces of their son on the lists.

"I found the name," she is overheard announcing dryly.

Massoud chuckles. "Who can dare to say that a mother's instinct is not strong enough," he says. "My eyes cannot see well enough."

Most of the approximately 40 people gathered outside the prison decline to give their full name or, in some cases, even their first name for fear of reprisal.

Massoud says he was called late the night before to come to the prison with his salary voucher as bail to get his son released.