Eight dead in protests, fire at Iran prison

Fire damage to a large building in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison can be seen by satellites, but it's still unclear exactly what happened at the prison Saturday night. Online videos seem to show chaotic scenes with a siren wailing, flames rising from the complex, people yelling “death to the dictator,” and gunfire. Authorities said Monday that at least eight prisoners died in the weekend incident and blamed the fire on rioters. The prison fire came during the fifth week of nationwide anti-government protests that began when a young woman died in the custody of the country’s morality police.

What’s the significance of Evin Prison? Human rights groups have charged the Tehran prison with abusing inmates. Evin Prison houses criminal convicts and political prisoners. Some detainees there who face security-related charges have dual citizenship in other countries. Early on Monday, analysts had different opinions on what kinds of prisoners would have been in the burned building.

Dig Deeper: Read Mindy Belz’s report from the World archives about Christians housed in Evin Prison.