Fire broke out in the notorious Ewin prison in the Iranian capital Tehran on Saturday evening. Eyewitnesses also told the Reuters news agency that shots could be heard from the building in the Iranian capital, which also houses political prisoners.
An unnamed government official told the state news agency Irna that unrest among “thugs” led to the fire. However, the situation is now calm and the fire is being fought. According to witnesses, the roads leading to the prison were cordoned off and ambulances and special forces could be seen.
Human rights groups criticize conditions in Ewin
In the Ewin prison in northern Tehran there are not only numerous political prisoners, but also demonstrators who have been imprisoned there because of their participation in the system-critical protests of the past four weeks. Human rights groups have long criticized the conditions in Ewin.
Because of the protests that have been going on across the country for weeks, the Iranian government is coming under increasing pressure. Now President Ebrahim Raisi seems to be forced to react to get the situation under control.
Applicable laws should be reviewed
The Irna news agency circulated a statement by Raisi in which he made promises of reform, albeit very vague. He sees it as necessary to “review, revise, update and, if necessary, revise” some of the laws in force in the country.
The trigger for the unrest, in which women in particular took to the streets against the government’s repressive course and the compulsory headscarf, was the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in mid-September.
The moral police had arrested her because of her allegedly “un-Islamic outfit”. What happened to Amini after that is unclear. The woman fell into a coma and died in a hospital on September 16. Critics accuse the morality police of using violence; the police deny it.