Iran’s hell-hole Evin jail is on fire: Flames are seen and gunshots heard at notorious Tehran prison where hundreds of regime opponents are held and where Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was locked up for years – after weeks of protests against country’s rulers

• Evin jail is on fire with alarms and gunshots being heard, according to reports
• The prison is used to hold political detainees, including foreign nationals
• The reports follow weeks of unrest in Iran after a woman died in police custody
• Mahsa Amini was arrested by Iran’s ‘morality’ police for dress code violations 

A fire and gunshots are being reported at an Iranian jail which houses political prisoners in the nation’s capital, as unrest in the country continues following the death of 22-year-old woman who was detained by police. 

Fire and gunshots erupted at the notorious Evin prison in northern Tehran on Saturday night, the Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights reported, amid protests over the death of Mahsa Amini.

There are allegations of torture, rape and horrific treatment of prisoners at the prison, which can hold up to 15,000 people and is primarily used to hold political prisoners.

It was where Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe was held during her six years of imprisonment in Iran. 

The US-based Centre for Human Rights in Iran reported that an ‘armed conflict’ broke out within the prison walls. It said shots were first heard in Ward 7 of the prison, but this has not been confirmed. 

Chants of ‘Death to the dictator’ – one of the main slogans of a month-long protest movement that has flared over the death of Amini – could be heard in the background of some videos.

Some footage appears to show prisoners sitting on top of one of the prison’s buildings, but this has not been confirmed.

There was no immediate comment by officials or reports from state media. 

The US-based HRANA human rights group says more than 5,500 people have been arrested in a recent crackdown following widespread protests against the country’s leaders.

Hundreds of those detained during the protests over Amini’s death last month have reportedly been sent to Evin.

Online videos appear to show smoke rising from Evin prison in Tehran, with gunshots and an alarm being heard on Saturday

Images on social media show a huge fire with large plumes of smoke visible in the sky

Mahsa Amini, 22, died in police custody after being detained in Tehran by Iranian morality police who believed she was wearing her hijab too loosely

Evin prison has seen multiple accusations of torture, rape and other inhumane treatment of prisoners

Ms Zaghari Ratcliffe has spoken out about the unrest in Iran

‘Gunshots can be heard from Evin Prison and smoke can be seen,’ said the activist website 1500tasvir, which also shared video footage it said showed special forces on motorbikes heading for the prison.

‘Families of prisoners have gathered in front of the main door of Evin prison,’ said a witness contacted by Reuters. ‘I can see fire and smoke. Lots of special forces. Ambulances are here too.’

Separate videos show dozens of police cars heading in the direction of the smoke. 

The prison, which mostly holds detainees facing security charges, has long been criticised by Western rights groups and it was blacklisted by the US government in 2018 for ‘serious human rights abuses’.

Human Rights Watch has accused authorities at the prison of using threats of torture and of indefinite imprisonment, as well as lengthy interrogations and denial of medical care for detainees.

In other footage, shared by local journalists, it is claimed people around the prison can be heard shouting ‘death to the dictator’.

It comes amid fierce protests against the country’s so-called morality police after a 22-year-old woman died in police custody. 

Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman from the country’s Kurdish region, died on September 16 while being held for ‘inappropriate attire’. 

‘Gunshots can be heard from Evin Prison and smoke can be seen,’ the activist website 1500tasvir said. 

Footage from locals in Tehran show huge plumes of smoke and a considerable blaze

The prison, which mostly holds detainees facing security charges, has long been criticised by Western rights groups and it was blacklisted by the US government in 2018 for ‘serious human rights abuses’

An Iranian security official later said unrest which led to the fire was over and firefighters were dealing with the blaze, according to state media. 

Evin jail is well-known as a prison specifically for political detainees, and was where Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was held after being detained in Iran in 2016.

She has recently spoken out on the unrest in Iran, saying ‘the world cannot ignore [it].’ 

The reports of gunfire within the prison come after a nearly month-long crackdown by government and police.

There have been huge protests, chanting in the streets and in universities against the country’s leaders in a sustained wave of anger at the death of Mahsa Amini. 

Other segments of society, including oil workers, have also joined the movement, which has spread to at least 19 cities, becoming one of the greatest challenges to Iran’s theocracy since the country’s 2009 Green Movement.

Riots have also broken out in prisons, with clashes reported between inmates and guards in Lakan prison in the northern province of Gilan recently.

The protests, which have seen violent reactions from police, have widened into strikes that have closed shops and businesses, touched the vital energy sector and inspired brazen acts of dissent against Iran’s religious rule.

Crowds of women have been pictured rebelling against the strict law and ripping off their headscarves. 

They have also been seen cutting their hair in the streets, a move that has been taken up by women around the world in a sign of solidarity. 

An Iranian coroner claimed Amini had died from illness, not police violence, and insisted two girls killed during anti-hijab protests ‘fell off roofs’ despite claims security forces beat the teenagers to death. 

Amini’s cousin, Erfan Mortezaei, has said that on the day she was arrested, she was forced into a police van and taken to the station where she was ‘tortured’.

‘There is a report from Kasra hospital [in Tehran] that says effectively by the time she reached the hospital she was already dead from a medical point of view,’ he told Sky News.

‘She suffered a concussion from a blow to the head.’

Footage emerged on Saturday which appeared to show a woman being seriously sexually assaulted by an officer during an arrest by police at a protest.

In a surprising move, Iranian officials have said they are looking into the incident. 

A video posted by the Norway-based organisation Iran Human Rights purported to show protests in the northeastern city of Mashhad, Iran’s second most populous city, with demonstrators chanting ‘Clerics get lost’ and drivers honking their horns.

The Iranian activist news agency HRANA said on Saturday that 233 people had been killed in the unrest, including 32 minors and 26 members of the security forces. 

More than 7,000 had been arrested in protests in 112 cities and towns and some 70 universities, it said in a posting online.

Among the casualties have been teenage girls whose deaths have become a rallying cry for more demonstrations demanding the downfall of the Islamic Republic.

Protesters called on Saturday for demonstrations in the northwestern city of Ardabil over the death of Asra Panahi, a teenager from the Azeri ethnic minority who activists alleged was beaten to death by security forces.

Officials denied the report and news agencies close to the Revolutionary Guards quoted her uncle as saying the high school student had died of a heart problem.

Videos posted on social media by activist website 1500tasvir purported to show street protests in Ardabil, while another social media video showed riot police retreating from rock-throwing demonstrators.

Iran has blamed the violence on enemies at home and abroad, including armed separatists and Western powers, accusing them of conspiring against the Islamic Republic and denying that security forces have killed protesters.

In his toughest warning yet to protesters, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – whose downfall many demonstrators have demanded – said on Friday that no one should dare think they can uproot the Islamic Republic.

Iran’s foreign minister spoke on Friday with the European Union’s top diplomat Josep Borrell, who urged Tehran to stop the repression of protesters.

In a phone call, Hossein Amirabdollahian told Borrell Iran allowed peaceful protests and its government enjoyed popular support, state media said. ‘Therefore, we recommend that Europeans look at the issue with a realistic approach,’ he said.

New EU sanctions on some 15 Iranians are expected to be approved on Monday, diplomats said.

Tonight’s scenes come just months after British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe was released from the infamous Evin prison by Iran after being detained on false charges in the capital for six years.

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe landed back on British soil in March, along with fellow dual national Anoosheh Ashoori, after the UK finally agreed to settle a long-standing debt to Iran.

The 44-year-old was detained on security charges in 2016 by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard at Imam Khomeini airport after a holiday to Iran during which she introduced her daughter to her parents.

She was accused of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government, and denied spying charges.

Her release came after the UK agreed to settle a historic £400 million debt dating to the 1970s after five years in Iranian jail on propaganda charges.

Both countries have said the fine and the release of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe are issues that should not be linked.

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