Iranian officials say Tehran prison blaze killed 4 inmates

A towering blaze astatine a notorious situation lodging governmental prisoners and anti-government activists successful Iran's superior killed 4 inmates, the country's judiciary said Sunday, successful melodramatic scenes that person reverberated crossed Iranian societal media.

Flames and heavy fume rising from Tehran's Evin Prison had been wide disposable Saturday evening, arsenic nationwide anti-government protests triggered by the decease of a young pistillate successful constabulary custody entered a 5th week. In online videos, gunshots and explosions could beryllium heard successful the country of the prison.

The blaze was extinguished aft respective hours and nary detainees escaped, authorities media said.

Authorities person attempted to region the events astatine the situation from the ongoing protests, portion authorities media has offered conflicting accounts of the violence. Hundreds are being held astatine Evin, wherever quality rights groups person reported repeated abuses of prisoners.

Families of inmates gathered Sunday adjacent the situation hoping for quality of their loved ones inside.

Masoumeh, 49, who lone gave her archetypal name, said her 19-year-old lad was taken to the situation 2 weeks agone aft taking portion successful the thoroughfare protests. "I cannot spot quality astir his health, I request to spot him closely," she said.

Another man, Reza, who besides gave lone his archetypal name, said his member has been successful Evin Prison since past twelvemonth aft helium was progressive successful a convulsive quarrel. "He did not telephone america successful caller days and pursuing past night's occurrence I americium present to larn what happened to him," helium said.

State media primitively reported 9 radical were injured but the judiciary-affiliated website Mizan.news connected Sunday said 4 inmates died of fume inhalation and 61 others were injured. It said each 4 who died were successful situation connected robbery convictions.

Ten inmates were hospitalized, with 4 of them successful superior condition, Mizan reported. It said immoderate prisoners had tried to flight but failed.

State TV connected Sunday aired video purporting to amusement the fire's aftermath of scorched walls and ceilings successful a country it said was the precocious level of a sewing store astatine the prison.

"This occurrence was caused by a combat betwixt immoderate prisoners successful a sewing workshop," said Tehran Gov. Mohsen Mansouri. "The store was acceptable up to make jobs" for prisoners, helium said.

Iranian societal media posts challenged authorities media claims implicit the origin of the occurrence and evident explosions astatine the prison. A erstwhile inmate of Evin and rights activistic Atena Daemi pointed retired that normally, each prisoners are sent to their wards and the workshops closed by sunset, she said successful a Tweet Sunday.

Iran's state-run IRNA quality bureau reported Saturday that determination were clashes betwixt prisoners successful 1 ward and situation personnel, citing a elder information official. The authoritative said prisoners acceptable occurrence to a warehouse afloat of situation uniforms, which caused the blaze. He said the "rioters" were separated from the different prisoners to de-escalate the conflict.

The authoritative said the "situation is wholly nether control" and that firefighters were extinguishing the flames. Later, Tehran authoritative Ali Salehi said that calm had returned to the situation and that the unrest was not related to the protests which person swept the state for 4 weeks.

The U.S.-based Center for Human Rights successful Iran reported that an "armed conflict" broke retired wrong the situation walls. It said shots were archetypal heard successful Ward 7 of the prison. This relationship could not instantly beryllium corroborated.

Footage of the occurrence circulated online. Videos showed shots ringing retired arsenic plumes of fume roseate into the entity amid the dependable of an alarm. A protestation broke retired connected the thoroughfare soon after, with galore chanting "Death to the Dictator!" — a notation to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — and burning tires, the videos showed.

Online video of the situation occurrence appeared to amusement projectiles being launched into the prison's country by information forces, followed by the dependable of astatine slightest 2 explosions. It wasn't instantly wide what benignant of rounds Iranian information forces utilized successful the incident.

Witnesses said that constabulary blocked roads and highways to Evin and that astatine slightest 3 beardown explosions were heard coming from the area. Traffic was dense on large freeways adjacent the prison, which is successful the northbound of the capital, and galore radical honked to amusement their solidarity with protests.

Riot constabulary were seen riding connected motorbikes toward the facility, arsenic were ambulances and firetrucks. Witnesses reported that the net was blocked successful the area.

The situation occurrence occurred arsenic protesters intensified anti-government demonstrations on main streets and astatine universities successful immoderate cities crossed Iran connected Saturday. Human rights monitors reported hundreds dead, including children, arsenic the question concluded its 4th week.

The protests erupted aft nationalist outrage implicit the decease of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini successful constabulary custody. She was arrested by Iran's morality constabulary successful Tehran for violating the Islamic Republic's strict formal code. Iran's authorities insists Amini was not mistreated successful constabulary custody, but her household says her assemblage showed bruises and different signs of beating aft she was detained.

On Sunday, Iran's Parliament published a connection claiming that Amini did not dice from immoderate carnal stroke but that she fell and constabulary waited excessively agelong to get attraction for her. Amini's household rejected an authoritative coroner's study that besides claimed she did not dice from immoderate carnal blows oregon beating.

President Joe Biden, connected a travel to Oregon, said the Iranian "government is truthful oppressive" and that helium had an "enormous magnitude of respect for radical marching successful the streets."

Evin Prison, which holds detainees facing security-related charges and includes dual citizens, has been charged by rights groups with abusing inmates. The installation has agelong been known for holding governmental prisoners arsenic good arsenic those with ties to the West who person been utilized by Iran arsenic bargaining chips successful planetary negotiations.