Iran’s judiciary has raised the death toll in a blaze at Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, saying that at least eight prisoners were killed as protests continue nationwide.
Details still remain scarce over the fire at Evin prison, which broke out on Saturday night as nationwide anti-government protests triggered by the death of a young woman in police custody entered a fifth week.
The judiciary’s Mizan news agency offered the new toll on Monday, saying the prisoners had succumbed to their injuries on Sunday from the fire.
It said all those dead had been held on theft charges.
Mizan described the incident as a “fight between inmates and a fire,” though it offered no evidence to support the claim.
Activists outside Iran say they remain skeptical of the Iranian government’s claims, particularly as their recent descriptions of the nationwide protests have drastically differed with those on the ground.
Flames and thick smoke rising from Tehran’s Evin Prison had been widely visible on Saturday night. In online videos, gunshots and explosions could be heard in the area of the prison.
The blaze was extinguished after several hours and no detainees escaped, state media said.
Authorities have attempted to distance the events at the prison from the ongoing protests, while state media has offered conflicting accounts of the violence. Hundreds are being held at Evin, where human rights groups have reported repeated abuses of prisoners.
The protests erupted after public outrage over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody.
Read the article in The West Australian (Reuters).