Iran says four prisoners killed and 61 injured in deadly Evin prison fire after gunshots heard

15 October 2022, 21:27 | Updated: 16 October 2022, 16:38

A large fire has broken out at Tehran's notorious Evin prison, where Iran's political prisoners and anti-government activists are kept.

Four people died in the fire and 61 people were injured, according to an Iranian state news agency.

The prison, which once housed British national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, has become the latest location for unrest in Iran, as nationwide protests entered a fifth week.

It comes as state media blamed "criminal elements" for the blaze, with online videos and local media reporting the sound of gunshots.

The US-based Centre for Human Rights in Iran reported that an “armed conflict” broke out within the prison walls, saying shots were first heard in Ward 7 of the prison.

The prison fire occurred as protesters intensified anti-government demonstrations, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September, along main streets and at universities in some cities across Iran on Saturday.

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Witnesses said that police blocked roads to Evin prison, located in the north of the capital, and at least three major explosions were heard coming from the area.

Traffic was heavy along major motorways near the prison as the fire continued and drivers honked their horns to show their solidarity with the protests.

Shots continued to ring out as plumes of smoke engulfed the sky in Tehran amid the sound of an alarm, videos show.

Riot police could also be seen riding on motorbikes toward the facility, as were ambulances and fire trucks. Witnesses also reported that the internet was blocked in the area.

It comes anti-government monitoring group 1500tasvir posted videos of the fire online, with chants of "death to the dictator" - a primary slogan of the anti-government protest movement - heard echoing in the background.

It stands in contrast to Iran's official news agency IRNA, who said "the situation is currently completely under control".

Human rights monitors reported hundreds dead, including children, as the movement concluded its fourth week.

Demonstrators chanted “Down with the dictator” on the streets of Ardabil in the country’s north-west.

Outside of universities in Kermanshah, Rasht and Tehran, students rallied, according to videos on social media. In the city of Sanandaj, a hotspot for demonstrations in the northern Kurdish region, school girls chanted: “Woman, life, freedom” down a central street.

The protests erupted after public outrage over the death of Ms Amini in police custody. She was arrested by Iran’s morality police in Tehran for violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code.