Australia

Number of Iran prison fires doubles as protest tensions rise

A court on Monday said eight inmates had died in a raging fire at Iran’s Evin Prison, adding to the official death toll from the fire, which has further fueled tensions over protests sparked by Masa Amini’s death. was doubled.

Authorities have blamed “riots and clashes” among prisoners for a fire in a Tehran prison late Saturday.

Gunshots and explosions were heard from inside the complex amid dramatic flames, according to social media footage, after which state media broadcast images of parts of the prison that had been gutted by the flames.

Attorney General Gollum Hossein Mohseni Ejay said on Monday that the fire was a “crime committed by several factors related to the enemy.”

“The number of people killed in Evin Prison is probably higher than the official number,” he added.

The IHR said many prisoners were transferred to Gohadasht prison in Karaj, west of Tehran, after the fire.

The fire came after four weeks of protests over the death of Amini, 22, who was arrested on suspicion of violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.

At least 122 people were killed in the Amini protest crackdown and at least 93 were killed in another clash in Zahedan, Sistan-Balchestan province, according to the latest tolls released by the IHR. included children of

They called on the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to hold a special session and “establish an independent reporting and accountability mechanism” to investigate rights violations.

– “Don’t close your eyes” –

Freedom of expression activist Hossein Lonagi called his mother from Evin, who has been in custody since last month, and “could barely speak, only a few words,” his brother Hassan wrote on Twitter. .

But the wife of activist Majid Tavakoli was similarly arrested during the crackdown and wrote on Twitter that she had not heard from her husband since the fire.

The European Union’s foreign minister on Monday approved new sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes, targeting Moral Police, Information Minister Eisa Zarepour and the cyber arm of the Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said Tehran would “immediately respond” to the sanctions. The US, UK and Canada have already announced sanctions against Iran for rights violations.

first published as Number of Iran prison fires doubles as protest tensions rise

Number of Iran prison fires doubles as protest tensions rise

Source link Number of Iran prison fires doubles as protest tensions rise

Back to top button