8 people were injured in a fire at Iran's notoriously Evin prison, state media reports - CNN

CNN  — 

At slightest 8 radical were injured successful a occurrence astatine Evin prison in northern Tehran, Iranian authorities media IRNA reported. A large, dark plume of smoke was seen billowing near the prison in aggregate videos on social media Saturday night.

The occurrence has been contained, and “peace is maintained,” the politician of Tehran, Mohsen Mansouri, told IRNA, adding that the occurrence was started by prisoners. Tehran’s Evin Prison is a notoriously brutal installation wherever the regime incarcerates governmental dissidents.

“Now the concern of the situation is wholly nether power and bid is maintained successful the situation analyzable and the streets astir the situation are being monitored and nether control,” Mansouri said.

An Iranian information authoritative said “thugs” acceptable occurrence to the warehouse of situation clothing, IRNA reported earlier.

Activist radical 1500tasvir reported that successful videos posted connected societal media, gunshots were heard and Iranian peculiar forces were seen heading to the country wherever the prison is believed to beryllium located.

The Iranian authoritative said that the “rioters” were separated from different prisoners and the different detainees person returned to their cells, IRNA reported.

CNN cannot independently verify the situation.

Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard responded connected Twitter to the societal media videos with a reminder to Iranian authorities of their “legal work to respect and protect” the lives of prisoners pursuing the fire.

Callamard noted the situation is “notorious” and retweeted a station from writer Jason Rezaian whose “544 Days” podcast recounts the clip helium spent incarcerated successful the prison.

“Evin is nary mean prison. Many of Iran’s champion & brightest person spent agelong stretches confined there, wherever brave women & men are denied their basal rights for speaking information to power,” Rezaian wrote. “The authorities is liable for what happens to those wrong close now.”

Meanwhile, cities passim Iran stay gripped successful nationwide protestation movements led by girls and women pursuing the decease of a young pistillate successful constabulary custody.

In September, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died aft she was detained by the country’s morality constabulary for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly. Iranian authorities person since unleashed a brutal crackdown connected demonstrators, who person agreed astir a scope of grievances with the country’s authoritarian regime.

Witnesses antecedently said that Iranian information forces beat, changeable and detained students astatine Tehran’s Sharif University. Last month, astir 2 twelve children were killed during the protests, according to a report by Amnesty International.

At slightest 23 children – immoderate arsenic young arsenic 11 – were killed by information forces successful the past 10 days of September alone, the study said.

Earlier this week, an Iranian authoritative also admitted that schoolhouse students participating successful thoroughfare protests are being detained and taken to psychiatric institutions.