Iran prison fire toll doubles as protest tensions surge

PARIS: Eight inmates died in a fire that raged in Iran´s Evin prison, the judiciary said on Monday, doubling the official toll from a blaze that has further stoked tensions one month into protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini.

Authorities blamed the fire in the Tehran jail late on Saturday on “riots and clashes” among prisoners, but human rights groups said they doubted the official version of events and feared the real toll could be higher.

The judiciary authority´s website Mizan Online said on Monday that four inmates injured in the fire had died in hospital, after reporting the previous day an initial toll of four dead from smoke inhalation. Gunshots and explosions were heard during the dramatic blaze from inside the complex, according to social media footage, and state media later broadcast images of parts of the prison gutted by the flames.

Iranian authorities have accused “thugs” of torching a prison clothing depot and reported clashes between prisoners, and then between inmates and guards who intervened to put an end to the violence. Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said Monday that the fire was “a crime committed by a few elements linked to the enemy”.