Iran says 71 killed in Israeli strike on Evin Prison
Israel's attack on the Evin Prison in Tehran on 23 June killed 71 people, Iranian judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir said on Sunday.
Two days before a ceasefire ended the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, the Israeli Air Force struck the Iranian capital's most notorious jail - a site known for holding political prisoners and foreign nationals.
The strike on the large, heavily fortified complex in northern Tehran was seen as Israel expanding its targets beyond military and nuclear sites to include symbols of Iran’s ruling establishment.
“In the attack on Evin Prison, 71 people were martyred, including administrative staff, youth doing their military service, detainees, family members of detainees who were visiting them and neighbours who lived in the prison’s vicinity,” Jahangir was quoted as saying by the judiciary’s news outlet Mizan.
He had previously said that part of the prison's administrative building had been damaged in the attack and that there were multiple casualties. The judiciary added that the remaining detainees had been transferred to other prisons across Tehran province.
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The prisoners at Evin have included Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi.
According to the judiciary, the prison’s medical centre and visiting rooms were among the facilities targeted in the strike.
During the war, four jailed Iranian women activists issued a letter from Evin Prison condemning Israel's attacks and warning against relying on "foreign powers" for regime change.
"Our liberation... from the dictatorship ruling the country is possible through the struggle of the masses and by resorting to social forces - not by clinging to foreign powers or placing hopes in them," read the letter, issued by Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee, Verisheh Moradi, Sakineh Parvaneh and Reyhaneh Ansarinejad.
Also on Sunday, Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi said that Tehran was not convinced Israel would abide by the ceasefire.
"We did not start the war, but we have responded to the aggressor with all our power, and as we have serious doubts over the enemy's compliance with its commitments - including the ceasefire - we are ready to respond with force [if attacked again]," Mousavi was quoted as saying by state TV.
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