Eight injured in Iran prison blaze, state media says Evin unrest not linked to countrywide protests
Oct 16, 2022
Tehran [Iran], October 16 : At least eight people were injured in a fire at Tehran's Evin prison on Saturday, state news agency IRNA reported amid the ongoing protests over the death of 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini.
The fire was ignited as a result of clashes among a number of inmates, according to the report, adding the clashes and unrest that erupted in the wards led to a fire in the prison's clothing storeroom.
The blaze has been brought under control by firefighters and prison officers, IRNA reported.
The state media outlet claimed that clashes inside Evin Prison on Saturday have nothing to do with the recent unrest in the country.
It said the ward of prisoners incarcerated on security charges is separate from the ward of bandits and prisoners serving their jail terms on financial charges where the fire incident happened.
The fire comes as Iran continues to be rocked by its most intense unrest in decades. In September, Mahsa Amini died after she was detained by the country's morality police for apparently not wearing her hijab properly.
Iranian authorities have since unleashed a brutal crackdown on demonstrators, who have united around a range of grievances with the country's authoritarian regime.
Hundreds of those detained during the protests have reportedly been sent to Evin.
The United States said Iran is fully responsible for the safety of wrongfully detained citizens in Evin Prison.
"We are following reports from Evin Prison with urgency. We are in contact with the Swiss as our protecting power. Iran is fully responsible for the safety of our wrongfully detained citizens, who should be released immediately," US State Department Ned Price said in a tweet.
