Large Blaze Breaks Out And Guns Fired In Tehran’s Evin Prison

Four prisoners were killed and 61 others injured after a fire broke out at the notorious Evin prison in Tehran, Iran’s state news agency said.

The blaze erupted late on Saturday at Evin prison, which holds political prisoners and dual-national detainees. Gunshots were also heard.

Iranian state media quoted a security official blaming “criminal elements” for the unrest at Evin prison on Saturday. Authorities said the fire was extinguished several hours after the incident and that no detainees escaped.

State media said it broke out after a fight between prisoners, in an apparent attempt to distance the events there from the ongoing protests. Hundreds of inmates are held at Evin, where human rights groups have reported repeated abuses of prisoners.

State TV on Sunday aired video of the fire’s aftermath, showing scorched walls and ceilings in a room it said was the upper floor of a sewing workshop at the prison.

“This fire was caused by a fight between some prisoners in a sewing workshop,” said Tehran Governor Mohsen Mansouri. “The workshop was set up to create jobs” for prisoners, he said.

US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said Washington was following the reports from Evin Prison.

The prison has been charged by rights groups with abusing inmates. The facility has long been known for holding political prisoners as well as those with ties to the West who have been used by Iran as bargaining chips in international negotiations.