Iran’s notorious Evin prison, which houses demonstrators arrested during widespread protests and political prisoners, was set on fire after inmates clashed with security forces, the country’s official media reported.
IRNA quoted an unknown security official as saying a fight broke out in one ward which led to clashes with prison guards.
“Villains and thugs set alight the warehouse of prisoners’ clothes which caused a fire in Evin prison,” the official said. “The situation is under thorough control now and there is tranquility in the prison while firefighters are putting [out] the fire.”
IRNA said eight prisoners were injured but there were no deaths. Videos and pictures in local media showed fire and smoke rising from the jail. Foreign nationals, including Americans and Europeans, are also held in Evin. At least nine foreigners have been arrested during the protests, authorities have said.
Ned Price, US state department spokesman, said the Biden administration was following reports from Evin Prison with “urgency”.
“Iran is fully responsible for the safety of our wrongfully detained citizens, who should be released immediately,” he said.
The incident comes as the Islamic republic has been struggling with one of the biggest and most long-lasting protests in its 43-year-old history.
The nationwide demonstrations were sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, on September 16 following her arrest by the morality police for allegedly failing to observe the Islamic code. Many Iranians were outraged and accused security forces of beating her. Iranian authorities insist she was not punished and died because of pre-existing conditions.
Anti-regime protests in the streets and universities continued in Tehran and other cities on Saturday. In the capital, there was tight security around campuses including Tehran University, where students chanted “death to the dictator”, eyewitnesses said.
The elite Revolutionary Guards deployed its special anti-riot forces outside the university, the first time they have been seen in Tehran. Until now, security operations have been conducted mainly by the police force as well as plain clothed guards. But Iranian officials have vowed to stamp out the protests, which they blame on the regime’s enemies including the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia.
State television has confirmed that more than 40 protesters have died but Amnesty International has put the deaths at least 144, including 23 children.
While the demonstrations seemed to be diminishing in recent days compared to a week ago, analysts warn that further killings could escalate the unrest.
Reports that a teenage schoolgirl was killed in the northwestern city of Ardabil last week have caused fresh anger. Authorities have denied the reports.
But Ali Daei, a former football star from the region, said silence about the protests has caused further violence, including the death of the girl in Ardabil.
“This silence is at the cost of [more] deaths and everyday there is a new loss,” he said in a post on Instagram on Saturday.
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