To Whom It May Concern,
A deadly prison riot leading to fire has, according to available sources, occurred today in Iran leaving four dead and more than sixty injured. The riot and fire occurred at the Evin prison, which also houses political prisoners and government critics, in the Iranian capital Tehran after nearly a month of protests in several cities over the death of Jina Mahsa Amini in custody. The riot was controlled and the blaze was extinguished after a few hours. Notably, government officials have denied the occurrence of riots and any links between the prison fire and the ongoing movement. But according to available sources, there were gunfights between prisoners and prison personnel in the prison and prisoners set fire to a warehouse holding prison uniforms leading to the prison blaze.
It is pertinent to note that such a fire or prison riot leading to fire might not have been a big concern if it had happened at any other time. But this happened amidst the ongoing protest in many cities against the killing of a Kurdish woman last month in jail. Consequently, the riot in the Evin prison, which is rendered a notorious prison, has significance at this moment. The riot may be instigated to further destabilize Iran at the time of the ongoing anti-government movement. It may also be the expression of anger among prisoners motivated by the ongoing protests, rendered as one of the most serious challenges to the government since the 1979 revolution, against the repression. Whatever the significance may be, the prison and the deaths and injuries of several prisoners reflect the failure of the concerned authorities and a lack of prison management capacity.
It is important to identify the exact causes of the prison riot and fire and improve prison management. But it remains unclear whether the identification of causes by the concerned officials will be accurate at this moment. Moreover, complaints regarding the violations of human rights of political prisoners and government critics in the Evin prison need to be heeded by the concerned authorities. Given that there are such violations, it is desired that political prisoners and government critics are not repressed and harassed. It is also desirable that the Iranian government exert political maneuver and deals with the protests that already led to the death of 240 protesters by negotiating with protesters instead of using force.
Amir M Sayem
Chief Editor
Dhaka Opinion Magazine
