An Israeli strike on Tehran’s Evin Prison on Monday killed 71 people, including inmates, staff and visiting family members, Iran’s judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir said on Sunday.
Newsweek has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) via email for comment on Sunday.
Why It Matters
In mid-June, Israel initially struck Tehran and several other cities in “Operation Rising Lion,” a campaign it said was meant to preempt a planned Iranian attack and disrupt Iran’s nuclear capabilities, which have long been a concern of Israel and the U.S.
Iran, which has said its nuclear program is for energy purposes and not nuclear weapons, retaliated. Israeli defense systems—bolstered by U.S. military technology—intercepted nearly all incoming missile fire, according to Israeli officials, although Iran did strike a hospital southern Israel last week. More than 600 Iranians were reported killed by Israeli strikes, and 28 Israelis killed by Iranian strikes, with thousands wounded it both countries.
Israel and Iran entered a fragile ceasefire on June 24, the day after Israel struck Evin Prison.
Last weekend, the U.S. joined Israel in its war against Iran by bombing three nuclear sites, Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz, in the largest B-2 bomber operation in U.S. history.
What To Know
On Sunday, Jahangir wrote in Mizan, the Iranian judiciary’s outlet, that 71 people were killed in the Israeli strike on Iran’s notorious Evin Prison. The update was republished on the official state news outlet, IRNA.
The English version of the Mizan article states that, “Prison administrative staff, conscript soldiers, convicted prisoners, families of prisoners who had visited for meetings or judicial follow-ups, and neighbors living near the prison,” were killed. It noted that people had come to the prison that day for various follow-ups on legal proceedings.
The outlet confirmed that Judge Ali Ghanaatkar, who served as deputy prosecutor of Tehran and the detention center’s top prosecutor, was killed in the strikes. It did not identify the others killed.
Mizan also reported that foreign journalists from several outlets, including Associated Press and Reuters, participated in a tour of the area.
On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people filled the streets of Iran’s capital for a state funeral honoring about 60 Iranians killed in Israeli strikes over the past few weeks, including top military commanders and nuclear scientists.
What Is Evin Prison?
Evin Prison holds many of the country’s political detainees in Iran, housing dissidents, journalists, protesters, and foreign nationals accused of espionage. The prison is one of the apparatuses of the Iranian regime’s domestic security apparatus.
Human rights organizations have long documented abuse, torture and arbitrary detention inside Evin Prison. Notable former detainees include Narges Mohammadi, a human rights activist and a Nobel Peace Laureate, and Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post journalist who was held there for 544 days on espionage charges while serving as the paper’s Tehran bureau chief a decade ago.
What People Are Saying
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar posted alleged footage of the bombing after the attack, writing on X, formerly Twitter: “We warned Iran time and again: stop targeting civilians! They continued, including this morning. Our response: Viva la libertad, c*****!”
Narges Mohammadi, a human rights activist and a Nobel Peace Laureate, said in a June 28 X post: “Israel’s attack on Evin Prison, carried out in broad daylight in the presence of families and visitors, is undoubtedly a clear example of a war crime…Many families of the detained are unaware of the status or whereabouts of their loved ones. Prisoners from the general wards of Evin Prison have been transferred to prisons around Tehran and are being held in harsh, inhumane, and grueling conditions. Furthermore, no official information has been released regarding the status of prisoners previously held in security wards or solitary confinement.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote in a Persian in an X post on Saturday: “From the bottom of my heart, I thank you dear people; With love, you bid farewell to the martyrs of our homeland, and our voice of unity reached the ears of the world. We have learned from Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon him) not to submit to humiliation and not to bow our heads before oppression. Serving such a noble nation is the honor of my life. Forever Iran”
What Happens Next
The ceasefire between Israel and Iran remains fragile. Trump said the U.S. and Iran are due to hold new talks about the country’s nuclear capabilities.
“We’re going to talk to them next week, with Iran,” Trump said at the NATO summit in the Netherlands on Wednesday. “We may sign an agreement. I don’t know.”
On Saturday, Araghchi posted on X, “If President Trump is genuine about wanting a deal, he should put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards Iran’s Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, and stop hurting his millions of heartfelt followers.”
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