Four prisoners dead & over 60 injured after massive fire breaks out at Iran's Evin prison

Four prisoners lost their lives while 61 sustained injuries a massive fire broke at Tehran's Evin prison amidst the ongoing demonstrations in Iran over the tragic demise of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, Sky News reported. Political prisoners and anti-government activists and criminal convicts are held in Evin jail. According to Iran's state-run IRNA, clashes between a number of prisoners set off the fire. The fights and disturbances that broke out in the prison wards caused the fire in the prison's clothing storehouse. 

As nationwide anti-government demonstrations sparked by the killing of the young Iranian woman in moral police custody entered the fifth week, flames and huge columns of smoke were seen rising from Tehran's Evin Prison. Gunshots and explosions were also heard in the vicinity of the prison on online videos. 

Iran says Evin unrest not linked to countrywide protests

According to a senior security official quoted by Iran's state-run IRNA, there were fights between detainees in one ward and prison guards. The official claimed that the inmates started the blaze by setting a warehouse full of prison clothes on fire. He said that in order to defuse the situation, the "rioters" were removed from the other detainees. The Governor of Tehran, Mohsen Mansouri said, “This fire was caused by a fight between some prisoners in a sewing workshop," Associated Press reported. "The workshop was set up to create jobs” for prisoners, he added. 

Meanwhile, the official media agency claimed that the conflicts that occurred within Evin Prison on Saturday had nothing to do with the ongoing turmoil in the nation. 

Anti-hijab protests enter fifth week

This incident took place at a time when Iran is experiencing its most severe unrest in decades. The demonstrations began following Mahsa Amini's death in September after being imprisoned by the nation's morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly. Since then, Iranian authorities have launched a harsh crackdown on protesters, who have joined together to voice complaints about the dictatorial government there. 

According to reports, Evin has received hundreds of individuals who were imprisoned during the protests. Notably, rights organisations have accused Evin Prison of abusing its inmates. The prison houses dual citizens and those detained on security-related crimes. 

(Image: Twitter/ @chawshin_83)