Post-election conflict boiled over in Iran this week, and the government released 140 prisoners yesterday in an attempt to tone down widespread upset at the detainment, treatment, and deaths of people arrested during the protests.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent a letter asking the head of the judiciary to exercise “Islamic mercy” to the prisoners. Monday, the country’s Supreme Leader closed a detention center that has become known for abuses.

So, just what is going on in these prisons? Some released prisoners report watching other detainees beaten to death, having their fingernails ripped off, or forced to lick dirty toilets.

Most of the information on prison abuse in Iran has come from relatives of detainees and through websites of the opposition party. Hospital officials have also told human rights workers that they believe over 100 protesters have died since the election, and recently, many families have reportedly been faced with the bruised corpses of their imprisoned relatives.

When news spread that the family member of a prominent political figure was being subjected to torture in prison, the head of Iran’s Supreme Administrative court promised to address the situation, releasing more prisoners this week and launching a “serious judicial inquiry” into the deaths.

On Monday, Mir-Hossein Moussavi, who the protesters believe unfairly lost the election because of fraud, spoke out about the detainee situation. “They cannot turn this nation into a prison of 70 million people,” he said before adding that the prison abuse has united the opposition: “the more people they arrest, the more widespread the movement will become.

If you want to show solidarity with the protesters and prisoners in Iran, find out what other young Americans are doing or raise awareness about the situation.

You can also let the U.N. know how you feel about it and ask them to take action.