Clashes erupted and a fire broke out on Saturday (October 15th) in the Iranian prison of Evin, in Tehran, where political prisoners and anti-government activists are detained.
Images shared on social networks showed, in the evening, huge flames and thick smoke emerging from the compound located in the northwest of the Iranian capital. Online videos and local media also reported gunshots.
“The thugs set fire to a warehouse of clothes inside Evin prison, which caused a fire”explained to the official press agency Irna, a senior security official, who affirms that clashes have opposed “rioters” to prison staff. “At the moment, the situation is completely under control and calm has returned to the prison”he added.
Money change
The website of the Iranian Ministry of Justice, Mizan Onlinespecifies, for his part, that the fire broke out “following a conflict between several detainees who had been convicted of financial offenses and theft”. Fire “is now under control”affirmed a firefighter on the spot with the agency Irna, affirming that “Eight people were injured in this disaster which did not cause any death”.
Evin Prison is notorious for the mistreatment of political prisoners. Hundreds of people arrested during the protest movement that is currently shaking the country would have been sent there. The establishment also detains foreigners or dual nationals as Franco-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah and American Siamak Namazi, who was reincarcerated this week after a temporary release, according to his family.
Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who was held in Evin for most of her 800 days in Iransaid that relatives of political prisoners there had assured him that “All the women in the Evin political prisoner ward are safe and unharmed. »
“Iran bears full responsibility for the safety of our wrongfully detained citizens, who must be released immediately”, tweeted Ned Pricespokesman for the diplomacy of the United States, adding that Washington followed the development of the incident “with urgency”.
The famous Iranian director Jafar Panahi, winner of several international awards, and the reformist politician Mostafa Tajzadeh are also believed to be in this prison establishment.
“Death to the dictator!” »
A protest erupted in the streets shortly after the incidents in Evin prison, with many people chanting “Death to the dictator!” » – a reference to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Videos showed burning tires, and witnesses said police blocked access routes to the prison, and at least three loud explosions were heard coming from the area. Traffic was heavy along major highways near the facility, and many motorists honked their horns in solidarity with protesters.
People also reported that the internet was blocked in the area.
Tehran prosecutor Ali Salehi said the ” peace “ returned to the prison, and that the unrest was unrelated to the protests that have been sweeping the country for four weeks, after the September 16 death of a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, Mahsa Amini, arrested three days earlier by the police. The young woman was accused of having violated the strict dress code of the Islamic Republic, in particular providing for the wearing of the veil for women.
The movement expands
Anti-regime mobilizations continued throughout the day on Saturday in several cities in Iran. Protesters chanted “Down with the dictator! » in the streets of Ardabil, in the northwest of the country. Outside the universities of Kermanshah and Rasht (North-West), students gathered, according to videos posted on social networks. In Sanandaj, a hotbed of protests in the northern Kurdistan region, female students chanted “Woman, life, freedom”.
“The mullahs must get out! »also chanted hijabless women at the Shariati Technical and Vocational College in Tehran, in a video widely shared online.
Political and social anger grew in the country following the death of Mahsa Amini, prompting girls and women to remove their compulsory headscarves in the streets in a show of solidarity. Other segments of society, including oil workers, joined the movement. Traders went on strike in Saghez, the birthplace of Mahsa Amini in the province of Kurdistan, and in Mahabad (North), according to the online media 1500tasvir. Riots have also broken out in some prisons, with clashes reported recently between inmates and guards at the Lakan facility.