protests in Iran
At least four dead after a fire in the notorious Ewin prison – where opponents of the regime are held
STORY: A fire broke out in Tehran’s Evin prison on Saturday evening. The Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that eight people were injured. According to the judiciary, a fire broke out in a workroom in the prison after a dispute between inmates. Eyewitnesses said gunshots were also heard. According to witnesses, the roads leading to the prison were cordoned off and ambulances and special forces could be seen. The families of detainees had gathered in front of the building. Ewin is internationally known for the political prisoners held there and criticism from human rights groups. The Tasnim news agency reported that those arrested for security offenses were not involved in the incident. Anti-government protests have been taking place in Iran for almost a month, in which more than 200 people are said to have died. The trigger was the death of the 22-year-old Kurd Mahsa Amini. She was arrested by the Morality Police in Tehran for allegedly violating the rules on wearing a headscarf.
A fire broke out in the Evin prison in the Iranian capital Tehran overnight. At least four occupants died in the fire. Opponents of the regime are mainly imprisoned in the prison.
A fire broke out in the notorious Ewin prison in the Iranian capital Tehran during a conflict between inmates and security personnel. At least four prisoners died and dozens of other detainees were injured, the state news agency IRNA reported on Sunday. Eyewitnesses reported that loud explosions and shots were heard in the detention center on Saturday evening. According to this, the fire is said to have burned until midnight, until the early morning smoke rose.
A fire broke out in Ewin prison during the night – many demonstrators and political prisoners are being held here.
© UGC / AFP
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 on Sunday. She died in a hospital on September 16 after being arrested by the vice squad.
The prison in northern Tehran is considered nationwide as the place for ill-treatment and torture of political prisoners in particular. 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.
Iran protests: Critics warn of bloodbath in Ewin prison
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.
But the trigger for the events of the night initially remained open. Tehran’s prosecutor denied any connection to the ongoing anti-system protests that have been spreading across the country for four weeks. According to him, it was an internal conflict in prison between convicted thieves.
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 (CHRI), according to a statement. “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.
Baerbock expressed solidarity with the prisoners
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) said the German embassy was in constant contact with the authorities because of the fire. The fire may be extinguished, “our attention to the people who are being held there and their human rights must not and will not stop,” she wrote on Twitter.
Traffic jams and system-critical protests also occurred around the prison at night, during which slogans such as “Death to the dictator” were repeatedly heard. Police and security forces cordoned off the area and used tear gas. Horns were heard in the area, the reform-oriented Iranian daily Shargh reported. The constant honking is a sign of solidarity with the people demonstrating across the country. Hundreds of people also took to the streets in German cities: in Berlin, Hamburg and Frankfurt am Main there were statements of solidarity with the political prisoners in Iran because of the fire.
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 on Saturday (local time). “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.