A fire and clashes erupted at Tehran’s notorious Evin prison Saturday night as the protest movement sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death in custody entered a fifth week, IgbereTV reports
The facility in northern Tehran is infamous for ill-treatment of political prisoners and also holds foreign detainees. Hundreds of those detained during the demonstrations over Amini’s death have reportedly been sent to Evin prison.
Flames and a plume of smoke could be seen billowing into the night sky and pops of what appeared to be gunfire could be heard in video footage shared by the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights on Twitter.
“A fire is spreading in Evin prison” and an “explosion was heard” from the facility, the 1500tasvir social media channel that monitors protests and police violations said on Twitter.
Chants of “Death to the dictator” — one of the main slogans of a month-long protest movement that has flared over the death of Amini — could be heard in the background of a video shared by 1500tasvir.
Iranian state media, citing a senior security official, said that “troubles and clashes took place on Saturday night” in the facility and “rioters” started a fire.
“The situation is currently completely under control,” the IRNA news agency said, reporting at least eight injured.
Evin prison holds foreigner inmates including French-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah and US citizen Siamak Namazi, whose family said he was taken back into custody this week after a temporary release from the facility.
Award-winning dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi and reformist politician Mostafa Tajzadeh are also reportedly held there.
Amini, 22, died on September 16, three days after falling into a coma following her arrest by Iran’s notorious morality police for an alleged breach of the Islamic republic’s strict dress code for women
