CAIRO — A towering blaze at a infamous jail housing political prisoners and anti-government activists in Iran’s capital killed 4 inmates, the nation’s judiciary stated Sunday.
The dramatic scenes of the nighttime fireplace have reverberated throughout Iranian social media.
Flames and thick smoke rising from Tehran’s Evin Prison had been extensively seen Saturday night, as nationwide anti-government protests triggered by the demise of a younger girl in police custody entered a fifth week. In on-line movies, gunshots and explosions may very well be heard within the space of the jail.
The blaze was extinguished after a number of hours and no detainees escaped, state media stated.
Authorities have tried to distance the occasions on the jail from the continuing protests, whereas state media has provided conflicting accounts of the violence. Hundreds are being held at Evin, the place human rights teams have reported repeated abuses of prisoners.
Families of inmates gathered Sunday close to the jail hoping for information of their family members inside.
Masoumeh, 49, who solely gave her first title, stated her 19-year-old son was taken to the jail two weeks in the past after collaborating on the street protests. “I cannot trust news about his health, I need to see him closely,” she stated.
Another man, Reza, who additionally gave solely his first title, stated his brother has been in Evin Prison since final 12 months after he was concerned in a violent quarrel. “He did not call us in recent days and following last night’s fire I am here to learn what happened to him,” he stated.
State media initially reported 9 individuals had been injured however the judiciary-affiliated web site Mizan.information on Sunday stated 4 inmates died of smoke inhalation and 61 others had been injured. It stated all 4 who died had been in jail on theft convictions.
Ten inmates had been hospitalized, with 4 of them in severe situation, Mizan reported. It stated some prisoners had tried to flee however failed.
State TV on Sunday aired video purporting to indicate the fireplace’s aftermath of scorched partitions and ceilings in a room it stated was the higher ground of a stitching workshop on the jail.
“This fire was caused by a fight between some prisoners in a sewing workshop,” stated Tehran Gov. Mohsen Mansouri.
Iranian social media posts challenged state media claims over the reason for the fireplace and obvious explosions on the jail. Former inmate of Evin and rights activist Atena Daemi stated in a Tweet Sunday that usually, all prisoners are despatched to their wards and the workshops closed by sundown.
The U.S.-based Center for Human Rights in Iran reported that an “armed conflict” broke out throughout the jail partitions. It stated photographs had been first heard in Ward 7 of the jail. This account couldn’t instantly be corroborated.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”