Iran prison fire kills four, injures 61 as protests persist - Reuters

DUBAI, Oct 16 (Reuters) - A occurrence astatine Iran's Evin situation precocious connected Saturday killed 4 detainees and injured 61, authorities media reported, arsenic anti-government protests sparked by a woman's decease successful constabulary custody continued connected Sunday, including astatine respective universities.

Iranian authorities said connected Saturday that a situation store had been acceptable connected occurrence "after a combat among a fig of prisoners convicted of fiscal crimes and theft". Evin holds galore detainees facing information charges, including Iranians with dual nationality.

Iran's judiciary said 4 of those injured successful Saturday's occurrence were successful captious information and that those killed had died of fume inhalation, Iranian authorities media reported.

Protests sparked by 22-year-old Mahsa Amini's decease connected Sept. 16 person turned into 1 of the boldest challenges to Iran's clerical rulers since the 1979 revolution, with protesters calling for the downfall of the Islamic Republic, adjacent if the unrest does not look adjacent to toppling the system.

Demonstrations continued astatine respective universities connected Sunday, including successful the cities of Tabriz and Rasht, to a dense deployment of riot police. Videos posted connected societal media showed students astatine a Tehran assemblage chanting: "Iran has turned into a large prison. Evin situation has go a slaughterhouse."

Reuters could not independently verify the footage.

Families of immoderate governmental detainees took to societal media to telephone connected the authorities to guarantee their information astatine Evin prison, which successful 2018 was blacklisted by the U.S. authorities for "serious quality rights abuses".

Footage of the situation aired connected authorities tv hours aft the occurrence seemingly showed that calm had returned to the installation with inmates dormant successful their wards. It besides showed firefighters inspecting a store with occurrence harm to the roof.

Atena Daemi, a quality rights activist, said that relatives of prisoners successful the women's conception had gone to Evin for visiting hours, but authorities denied them access, resulting successful a standoff. Prisoners were "fine, but the phones are broken", they were told, according to Daemi. She aboriginal tweeted that immoderate women prisoners had called their families.

The hubby of Iranian writer Niloofar Hamedi, who broke the quality of Amini's hospitalisation and was arrested past month, besides wrote connected Twitter that she had telephoned him connected Sunday.

A lawyer representing an American Iranian held astatine Evin, Siamak Namazi, imprisoned for astir 7 years connected espionage-related charges rejected by Washington arsenic baseless, said connected Sunday that Namazi had contacted his relatives.

"SiamakNamazi has present spoken to his family. He is harmless and has been moved to a unafraid country of Evin Prison. We person nary further details," lawyer Jared Genser said successful a tweet.

Several different dual nationalist Iranians and overseas citizens are held successful Evin situation mostly for security-related charges. Some Twitter posts by their friends and relatives said they had contacted their families connected Sunday.

VIOLENT CRACKDOWN

Asked astir the situation fire, U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters during a run travel connected Saturday to Portland, Oregon that the Iranian authorities was "so oppressive" and that helium was amazed by the courageousness of the Iranian protesters.

Iran's overseas ministry said Biden had interfered successful Tehran's authorities matters by showing enactment for the anti-government protests. work much

France said connected Sunday it was pursuing with the utmost attraction the concern astatine Evin prison, "where respective French nationals are being arbitrarily detained".

"France erstwhile again reminds the Iranian authorities that they are liable for the information and wellness of our compatriots detained successful Iran," a French overseas ministry spokesperson said successful a statement, repeating a telephone for their contiguous release.

Protests person been met with a brutal authorities crackdown. Rights groups said astatine slightest 240 protesters had been killed successful the anti-government protests, including 32 minors. Over 8,000 radical had been arrested successful 111 cities and towns, Iranian activistic quality bureau HRANA said connected Saturday. The authorities person not published a decease toll.

Among the casualties person been teenage girls whose deaths person go a rallying outcry for much demonstrations crossed the country.

Iran, which has blamed the unit connected enemies astatine location and abroad, denies information forces person killed protesters. State media said connected Saturday astatine slightest 26 members of the information forces had been killed by "rioters".

The clampdown connected protests has attracted planetary condemnation, with the United States, Canada and immoderate European countries imposing sanctions connected Iranian officials and organisations they impeach of being involved.

Additional reporting by Mathieu Rosemain successful Paris Writing by Parisa Hafezi Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky, Alexandra Hudson

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.