Numerous system-critical demonstrators are being held in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison. A major fire killed at least four people and injured many more. The authorities deny any connection with the ongoing protests in Iran.
After the fire in the notorious Ewin prison in the Iranian capital Tehran, the authorities have reported the first deaths. At least four prisoners died and dozens more were injured, the state news agency IRNA reported. The circumstances were not further described by the official side. Human rights organizations and critics had already feared victims in the detention center during the night.
Eyewitnesses reported that loud explosions and shots were heard in the detention center on Saturday evening. A fire was said to have burned until midnight, with smoke rising into the early morning.
According to the think tank Institute for the Study of War, protests broke out again in at least 22 cities in 16 provinces in Iran. The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini – the trigger for the protests – was exactly a month ago. She died in a hospital on September 16 after being arrested by the vice squad.
The prison in northern Tehran is considered nationwide as a place of mistreatment and torture – especially of political prisoners. Demonstrators are also being held there because of their participation in the system-critical protests of the past four weeks, as are dual nationals who have another citizenship in addition to Iranian citizenship. The US sanctioned the prison and its management in May 2018 for “serious human rights violations”. What exactly happened in Tehran’s notorious detention center cannot be independently verified, nor can videos shared thousands of times on social media showing chaotic images surrounding the facility.
The state agency Irna initially reported on Saturday evening about an argument between “hooligans and rioters” and the prison guards. The institution’s textile warehouse had been set on fire, it said. However, the situation was brought under control after a short time. The fire brigade have since extinguished the fire. Tehran’s prosecutor denied any connection to the ongoing anti-system protests that have been spreading across the country for four weeks.
Critics abroad warned of a bloodbath in the prison. “The detainees, including countless political prisoners, are completely vulnerable in this prison,” said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the New York-based human rights organization Center for Human Rights in Iran. “The Iranian authorities have repeatedly shown their utter disregard for human life and we are extremely concerned that prisoners are being killed at this very moment.”
Eyewitnesses said that relatives of the detainees who rushed to the scene cried outside the detention center and demanded information about their family members. Traffic jams and system-critical protests also erupted around the prison at night, with slogans such as “Death to the dictator” repeatedly heard. Police and security forces cordoned off the area and used tear gas. Horns were heard in the area, according to the reform-oriented Iranian daily Shargh. The constant honking is a sign of solidarity with the people demonstrating across the country.
The United States expressed concern about the dramatic situation. “We are following the reports from Ewin Prison with great urgency,” US State Department spokesman Ned Price wrote on Twitter. “Iran has full responsibility for the safety of our unjustly detained citizens who should be released immediately.” Iran condemned the response as interfering in internal affairs and supporting nationwide protests.