DUBAI: Eight prisoners died as a result of a fire at Tehran’s Evin prison over the weekend, Iran’s judiciary said on Monday, doubling the death toll from the blaze which has increased pressure on a government struggling to contain mass protests.
The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16 while in police custody has sparked protests across the country which the authorities have been trying to put down by force.
Iran’s judiciary said all the victims of the prison blaze had been held in a section of the prison designated for prisoners of robbery-related crimes. Evin also holds political prisoners and many detainees facing security charges, including Iranians with dual nationality.
Authorities said that a prison workshop had been set on fire “after a fight among a number of prisoners convicted of financial crimes and theft.” State media reported on Sunday that the first four deaths had been caused by smoke inhalation and that more than 60 had been injured, four of them critically.
In a commentary, state newspaper Iran said that counter-revolutionary forces with the help of foreign intelligence services planned the fire in order to keep international attention on the country’s unrest.
“A review of its different dimensions of this event indicates due to the presence of these dual-national “spies” or “spies” who are citizens of western countries, this would attract sensitivity of those countries, igniting the protesters,” said the newspaper.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said the fire at Evin could happen in any country.
US President Joe Biden and the European Union are among those to have criticized Tehran’s crackdown on protesters, with the EU considering to impose asset freezes and travel bans on a number of Iranian officials involved.
The judiciary spokesperson Masoud Setayeshi warned that “Spreading lies with the intention of disturbing public opinion is punishable by law.”
Families of some political detainees took to social media to call on the authorities to ensure their safety at Evin, which in 2018 was blacklisted by the US government for “serious human rights abuses.”
The protests sparked by Amini’s death a month ago have turned into one of the boldest challenges to Iran’s clerical rulers since the 1979 revolution, with protesters calling for the downfall of the Islamic Republic, even if the unrest does not seem close to toppling the system.
Protests resumed early on Monday in Yazd and several other cities. The widely followed activist Tasvir1500 Twitter account carried a video showing people setting fire in the streets and calling for the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Reuters could not independently verify the videos. Iran has deployed the Basij militia, voluntary military troops which have been at the forefront of repressing popular unrest, but they have failed to contain the protests.
The elite Revolutionary Guards, who have not taken part in the crackdown, began military exercises on Monday.
Rights groups said at least 240 protesters had been killed, including 32 minors. Over 8,000 people had been arrested in 111 cities and towns, Iranian activist news agency HRANA said on Saturday. The authorities have not published a death toll.
Iran, which has blamed the violence on enemies at home and abroad, denies security forces have killed protesters. State media said on Saturday at least 26 members of the security forces had been killed by “rioters.”
Iran prison fire death toll rises to 8 inmates killed
https://arab.news/bw2pp
Iran prison fire death toll rises to 8 inmates killed
- State media reported that the blaze was extinguished after several hours and no detainees escaped
- Rights groups said at least 240 protesters had been killed, including 32 minors
EU urges Israel to halt NGO registration law, warns it puts aid for Gaza at risk
- Legislation could severely restrict ability of humanitarian groups to provide aid for civilians amid one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, officials say
- Without nongovernmental organizations ‘humanitarian aid cannot be delivered at the scale needed to prevent further loss of life in Gaza,’ European Council warns
NEW YORK CITY: The EU on Tuesday urged Israeli authorities not to implement in its current form a new law governing the registration of international nongovernmental organizations, warning it could jeopardize life-saving humanitarian operations in Gaza and the other occupied Palestinian territories.
In a joint statement, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Kaja Kallas, and Commissioners Hadja Lahbib and Dubravca Suica said the law could severely restrict the ability of international aid organizations to operate and deliver assistance to civilians amid one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
The European Council highlighted the need for “rapid, safe and unimpeded” delivery of aid and warned that without nongovernmental organizations, “humanitarian aid cannot be delivered at the scale needed to prevent further loss of life in Gaza.”
The new law, adopted by the Israeli government after the introduction of new registration requirements in March 2025, obliges foreign humanitarian organizations to provide detailed information about their operations, including full lists of local and foreign staff, as a condition for registering to operate in Palestinian areas.
Dozens of aid groups, including Doctors Without Borders, World Vision and Oxfam, face having their accreditation revoked or licenses suspended after failing to meet the new criteria by the Dec. 31 deadline that was set. Israeli authorities have said organizations that fail to meet the new requirements must cease all activities by March 1.
Critics say the rules risk undermining humanitarian principles and could endanger local staff. The Israeli measures drew international condemnation and warnings from UN agencies, which said international NGOs provide essential “humanitarian lifelines” in Gaza where they are delivering most of the healthcare, nutritional, water and sanitation services amid ongoing restrictions and closures of border crossings.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire, UN agencies have said, with winter conditions compounding the suffering of displaced populations living in makeshift shelters that expose them to heavy rain, flooding and cold.
Hundreds of thousands of people in the territory have received emergency food, shelter and winter supplies, and while famine conditions have eased since the ceasefire agreement in October, acute food insecurity, malnutrition and damage to infrastructure continues to take a toll.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said recent heavy rains have flooded tents, damaged homes and put a strain on already limited water, sanitation and health services, underscoring the need for sustained and unimpeded aid access.
The EU statement comes after the European Council on Dec. 18 welcomed a UN Security Council resolution for the establishment of a peace-building and stabilization force in Gaza, and urged all parties to implement it fully and in line with the principles of international law.
