“Calm has returned to the prison,” a security officer told the news agency. It is not known if there were any injuries. Iranian authorities claim that the fire started after a riot among prisoners. It is said that a sewing workshop was burned down.
Critics fear the authorities have set themselves on fire to root out dissidents. Fire pictures are circulating on Twitter. Shots can also be heard in it.
Hundreds of political prisoners are held in Eving Prison, including VUB professor Ahmed Reza Jalali and Olivier Vandecastel (41). This Belgian employee of an NGO has been imprisoned in Iran for more than six months for unclear reasons.
Many of the protesters who were arrested during the recent protests against the regime are also staying in Eving Prison. It is very noisy near the pool on a Saturday evening. According to the opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin of Iran, civilians are gathering there to help the detainees.
The guards sent attack dogs into the building. In a statement, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) said that sirens are constantly going off and grenade explosions and gunfire can be heard.
Iran witnessed a lot of turmoil a month ago after the death of Iranian-Kurdish 22-year-old Mohasa Amini in hospital. The young woman was arrested three days ago by the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice on charges of wearing the hijab loosely.
Recent demonstrations have often led to clashes with Iranian security forces, and dozens of people have died in those clashes. Protests are also taking place in Iran this weekend. The protests are openly directed against the government.
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