Iran: Evin prisoners at risk after report of riot

Amnesty International: URGENT ACTION EVIN PRISONERS AT RISK AFTER REPORT OF RIOT Reports of prison guards raiding Section 350 of Tehran’s Evin Prison, where many political prisoners are held, have emerged raising fears about the safety of prisoners. The unrest appears to have resulted in prisoners sustaining injuries, including broken ribs. It has been reported that at least 32 individuals from Section 350 have been transferred to solitary confinement in Section 240 of the prison.

 

According to media reports on the morning of 17 April Ministry of Intelligence officials, along with about 100 guards dressed in riot gear reportedly entered Section 350 of Evin Prison, possibly to conduct a search. It is not clear what happened next, but some sort of confrontation with prisoners opposing the raid appears to have ensued, and several prisoners seem to have been injured. At least four of the injured prisoners have been transferred to a hospital outside of the prison. Another 26 prisoners are reported to have been injured, but it is not clear whether they have received medical treatment inside the prison. At least two prisoners, Esmail Barzegari and Akbar Amini, are reported to have suffered broken ribs. A third is said to have suffered a heart attack and has been transferred to the intensive care unit of a hospital outside of the prison.

 

Another 32 individuals were taken to solitary confinement, including lawyer Abdolfattah Soltani; minority rights activist and member of the Azerbaijani minority in Iran Sa’id Metinpour; former prosecutor Mohammad Amin Hadavi; labour rights activist Behnam Ebrahimzadeh; and political activists Behzad Arabgol and Hootan Dolati. It has been reported that all those transferred to solitary confinement were beaten with batons by guards during the transfer.

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