Exclusive: Deadly Iran jail fire erupted as police clashed with inmates - Reuters

Oct 20 (Reuters) - Two days earlier a occurrence ripped done a conception of Iran's Evin situation and killed astatine slightest 8 people, a riot constabulary portion arrived astatine the compound and began to patrol the corridors, shouting "God is Greatest" and banging batons connected compartment doors, six sources told Reuters.

The patrols astatine the Tehran jailhouse began without immoderate evident provocation by inmates, the sources said. These patrols continued from Thursday to Saturday, erstwhile immoderate prisoners reacted by shouting for the downfall of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, echoing protests raging crossed Iran since September.

"Then we heard shots and chants of 'Death to Khamenei' by prisoners successful different wards," said an inmate wrong ward 8, which holds mostly prisoners convicted of fiscal crimes.

The prisoner, who was giving his relationship for the archetypal time, spoke to Reuters connected information helium was not named and that nary notation was made of the method of communication.

The bloody crackdown by the constabulary and the deadly occurrence connected the evening of Oct. 15, whose origins are disputed, person shaken a nine already connected borderline aft a month of violence involving information forces and anti-government protesters.

Reuters interviews with the ward 8 prisoner, arsenic good arsenic a comparative of an inmate and 4 rights activists with contacts astatine the situation suggest the inmates' anti-government chants were a absorption to the constabulary patrols and that constabulary past responded forcefully to suppress them.

The captive and different sources spoke to Reuters connected information of anonymity owed to interest for their safety.

Reuters was incapable to find wherefore riot constabulary were sent to the jail, what the government's motives were for the crackdown and however the occurrence started. But it adds to a increasing consciousness of the authorities' determination to crush dissent and debar losing power of Evin oregon different places that person been cardinal to the Islamic Republic's grip connected society, 4 rights activists said.

WAVE OF UNREST

The prison, successful Tehran's Evin neighbourhood, has been the main tract for holding salient Iranian governmental prisoners, adjacent earlier the 1979 Islamic revolution, arsenic good arsenic foreigners and dual nationals. It besides holds inmates convicted of mean crimes, and is present receiving a watercourse of dissidents arrested successful the continuing question of unrest sweeping the country, Iranian authorities, prisoners families and lawyers say.

The situation is known arsenic "Evin University" due to the fact that of the galore anti-government intellectuals and academics held there.

Eight prisoners died of fume inhalation arsenic a effect of the fire, the judiciary said. Inmates and rights activists interviewed by Reuters feared much lives were lost. The appraisal was based connected the dozens of injured, galore severely so, seen by the inmate and those prisoners successful interaction with the activists interviewed by Reuters.

Reuters sought remark from situation officials, the Interior Ministry and officials astatine the judiciary via telephone and by sending written substance messages with questions regarding cardinal points, including the relationship by sources astir the deployment of riot constabulary connected Oct. 13. They person not responded.

But 1 Iranian official, who was reached by telephone but declined to beryllium identified by sanction oregon the instauration helium worked for, said helium did not cognize wherefore the riot constabulary were sent to the situation and expressed astonishment the authorities seemed to person mislaid power of the installation for a clip connected Saturday evening.

One anti-government activist, speaking connected information of anonymity owed to concerns for his security, told Reuters the authorities whitethorn person planned the situation crackdown successful bid to show to protesters the harsh signifier of detention that await them astatine Evin if they support challenging the government.

'LIKE A WAR ZONE'

Amnesty International said it had evidence, which it did not disclose, that the authorities sought to warrant their bloody crackdown nether the guise of battling the occurrence and preventing captive escapes.

The radical besides said situation officials and riot constabulary repeatedly subjected galore prisoners to brutal beatings with batons, peculiarly connected their heads and faces.

The state was already tense connected the evening of Oct. 15, erstwhile videos connected societal media showed a occurrence and plumes of fume rising from the situation arsenic gunshots rang out, and objects were seen being thrown into the complex.

Around the country, information forces were struggling to incorporate nationwide demonstrations triggered by the decease past period of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian pistillate Mahsa Amini portion successful the custody of Iran's morality police.

On the nighttime of the fire, authorities media reported that a radical of prisoners were trying to escape, and had stepped connected a minefield extracurricular the complex.

This mentation was denied connected Sunday by the judiciary, which said a situation store had been acceptable connected occurrence astatine mid-evening connected Saturday "after a combat among a fig of prisoners".

The captive and activists said nary inmates could person been astatine the store successful mid-evening, due to the fact that they would person been locked successful astatine that time. Evin's cells are unopen betwixt 5 and 6 p.m., depending connected supplication time.

Reuters could not independently find what triggered the blaze.

'EVERYONE WAS SCARED'

Tensions roseate erstwhile inmates, provoked by the riot constabulary chanting spiritual slogans and hammering batons connected compartment doors, responded with "Death to Khamenei". Then, astatine astir 8 p.m., shots were fired by the riot police, sources said.

"When we heard shots and chants, we tried to interruption the doorway and get to the corridor to assistance different prisoners from ward 7 who broke the doorway and were clashing with the riot constabulary and situation guards successful the corridor. Everyone was scared," said the inmate.

Ward 7 holds prisoners convicted of wide crimes and governmental prisoners, and is successful the aforesaid gathering lodging ward 8. Riot constabulary and situation guards fired teargas and metallic pellets astatine hundreds of prisoners and bushed radical with batons, according to Reuters interviews with the prisoner, the comparative of an inmate and activists with contacts astatine the prison.

"They opened the doorway of our ward (8) and were shooting astatine america with pellet guns. Fired teardrop gas. Dozens, dozens of them were there. Many radical successful our ward were injured and could not breathe," said the prisoner.

"We could perceive gunshots, prisoners were screaming, guards were shouting, they opened the doorway and threw truthful overmuch teardrop state wrong and utilized pellet guns. Many inmates fainted, dozens were injured. It was similar a warfare zone," helium added.

Human rights activistic Atena Daemi, who was jailed successful Evin for 5-1/2 years and was released 9 months ago, has kept successful interaction with detainees there.

"Prisoners from ward 7 tried to interruption the doorway of ward 8 to fto them retired too. It is erstwhile the forces started shooting astatine the prisoners astir 20:30 with unrecorded ammunition," she said.

Neither authorities media nor the judiciary person disclosed the methods constabulary utilized to retake power astatine Evin.

Mehdi Rafsanjani, the lad of a erstwhile president, who is serving a 10-year condemnation for fiscal corruption successful Evin and usually has a play furlough Wednesday-to-Friday, was told connected Wednesday Oct. 12 helium should instrumentality to the situation lone aft Saturday, his member Yasser Hashemi Rafsanjani said connected a societal media platform.

"My member Mehdi was told not to travel backmost until aft Saturday," helium said, adding his member was fixed nary mentation and was present backmost successful prison.

Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by William Maclean and Edmund Blair

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