A major fire broke out in Evin prison in northern Tehran on Saturday evening and gunshots were heard, Oslo-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) reported against the backdrop of protests after the death of Mahsa Amini. Later in the day, the situation returned “under control”, according to the official Irna news agency.
“Disorders and clashes were observed on Saturday evening,” said a senior security official quoted by the agency. “At the moment the situation is completely under control and calm has returned to the prison,” he added.
“The thugs set fire to a warehouse of clothes inside Evin prison, which caused a fire,” the senior official said, claiming clashes between “rioters” and employees from jail.
The Ministry of Justice website, Mizan Online, indicates for its part that the fire broke out “following a conflict between several inmates with financial convictions and thefts”. “The fire is now under control,” said a firefighter on the spot to the Irna agency, affirming that “eight people were injured in this fire which did not cause any death”.
Slogans against the “dictator”
Footage shared by IHR on Twitter shows huge flames and thick smoke billowing from the prison, where prisoners of conscience are being held, as gunshots are heard.
“A fire is spreading in Evin prison” and “an explosion has sounded inside”, said on Twitter the online media 1500tasvir, which lists human rights violations. Slogans calling for the “death of the dictator” could be heard in the background on a video broadcast by 1500tasvir.
It is one of the most repeated slogans during protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini a month ago. The 22-year-old Iranian Kurd died on September 16, three days after she was arrested in Tehran for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code for women, including the wearing of the veil, in Tehran.
A prison that houses many protesters
The NGO IHR has reported at least 108 deaths since September 16. According to a latest Iranian report given on September 27, around 60 people were killed, including a dozen police officers.
According to the US-based NGO Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), more than 5,500 people have been arrested since the protests began, including several hundred who have been imprisoned in Evin prison.
In August 2021, a group of hackers uploaded videos showing Evin prison guards beating or abusing inmates. The head of the country’s penitentiary organization Mohammad-Mehdi Hadj-Mohammadi had acknowledged “unacceptable behavior” in his services after the publication of these videos.
Iran regularly defends itself against reports from the UN or international human rights organizations criticizing its prison administration for the mistreatment of prisoners.