Iran jail fireplace kills 4, injures 61 as protests persist Yesterday

A fireplace at Iran’s Evin jail late on Saturday killed 4 detainees and injured 61, state media reported, as anti-government protests sparked by a lady’s loss of life in police custody continued on Sunday, together with at a number of universities.

Iranian authorities stated on Saturday {that a} jail workshop had been set on fireplace “after a struggle amongst a variety of prisoners convicted of economic crimes and theft.” Evin additionally holds many detainees dealing with safety costs, together with Iranians with twin nationality.

Iran’s judiciary stated 4 of these injured in Saturday’s fireplace had been in vital situation and that these killed had died of smoke inhalation, Iranian state media reported.

Protests sparked by 22-year-old Mahsa Amini’s loss of life on Sept. 16 have changed into one of many boldest challenges to Iran’s clerical rulers because the 1979 revolution, with protesters calling for the downfall of the Islamic Republic, even when the unrest doesn’t appear near toppling the system.

Demonstrations continued at a number of universities on Sunday, together with within the cities of Tabriz and Rasht, to a heavy deployment of riot police. Movies posted on social media confirmed college students at a Tehran college chanting: “Iran has changed into a giant jail. Evin jail has change into a slaughterhouse.”

Different movies confirmed fires being lit at highway intersections in a number of cities, together with the capital and Piranshahr within the west of the nation, the place automotive drivers honked their horns and anti-government slogans may very well be heard.

Dozens of protesters had been additionally seen in a poor neighbourhood of Tehran, earlier than being dispersed by safety forces mounted on motorbikes and taking pictures tear fuel canisters within the air.

Reuters couldn’t independently confirm the movies.

Households of some political detainees took to social media to name on the authorities to make sure their security at Evin jail, which in 2018 was blacklisted by the U.S. authorities for “severe human rights abuses”.

Footage of the jail aired on state tv hours after the fireplace apparently confirmed that calm had returned to the ability with inmates asleep of their wards. It additionally confirmed firefighters inspecting a workshop with fireplace harm to the roof.

Atena Daemi, a human rights activist, stated that kin of prisoners within the girls’s part had gone to Evin for visiting hours, however authorities denied them entry, leading to a standoff. Prisoners had been “positive, however the telephones are damaged,” they had been informed, in line with Ms. Daemi. She later tweeted that some girls prisoners had referred to as their households.

The husband of Iranian journalist Niloofar Hamedi, who broke the information of Amini’s hospitalization and was arrested final month, additionally wrote on Twitter that she had telephoned him on Sunday.

A lawyer representing an American Iranian held at Evin, Siamak Namazi, imprisoned for practically seven years on espionage-related costs rejected by Washington as baseless, stated on Sunday that Mr. Namazi had contacted his kin.

“Siamak Namazi has now spoken to his household. He’s protected and has been moved to a safe space of Evin Jail. We have now no additional particulars,” lawyer Jared Genser stated in a tweet.

A number of different twin nationwide Iranians and overseas residents are held in Evin jail principally for security-related costs. Some Twitter posts by their associates and kin stated they’d contacted their households on Sunday.

Requested concerning the jail fireplace, U.S. President Joe Biden stated on Saturday he was shocked by the braveness of Iranian protesters. He earlier referred to as on Iran “to finish the violence in opposition to its personal residents merely exercising their basic rights.”

Iran’s President, Ebrahim Raisi, stated Biden was inciting “chaos, terror, and destruction … (and) needs to be reminded of the everlasting phrases of the founding father of the Islamic Republic who referred to as America the good Devil,” referring to Iran’s late revolutionary chief Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

France’s overseas ministry stated on Sunday it was following with the utmost consideration the state of affairs at Evin jail, “the place a number of French nationals are being arbitrarily detained.”

Protests have been met with a brutal state crackdown. Rights teams stated no less than 240 protesters had been killed, together with 32 minors. Over 8,000 individuals had been arrested in 111 cities and cities, Iranian activist information company HRANA stated on Saturday. The authorities haven’t revealed a loss of life toll.

Among the many casualties have been teenage women whose deaths have change into a rallying cry for extra demonstrations throughout the nation.

Iran, which has blamed the violence on enemies at house and overseas, denies safety forces have killed protesters. State media stated on Saturday no less than 26 members of the safety forces had been killed by “rioters.”

This content material seems as supplied to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe workers.