Iranian security official confirms fire at Evin prison, says situation is under control after social media footage emerges
By Artemis Moshtaghian, Jennifer Hauser, and Alaa Elassar, CNN
(CNN) - A large, dark plume of smoke was seen billowing near Evin prison in northern Tehran in multiple videos on social media Saturday night.
An Iranian security official said "thugs" set fire to the warehouse of prison clothing, which led to a fire in the prison, Iranian state media IRNA reported. Tehran's Evin Prison is a notoriously brutal facility where the regime incarcerates political dissidents.
"Now the situation is completely under control and peace is maintained in the prison, and the firemen are extinguishing the fire," the security official told IRNA.
Activist group 1500tasvir reported that in videos posted on social media, gunshots were heard and Iranian special forces were seen heading to the area where the prison is believed to be located.
The Iranian official said that the "rioters" were separated from other prisoners and the other detainees have returned to their cells, IRNA reported.
CNN cannot independently verify the situation.
Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard responded on Twitter to the social media videos with a reminder to Iranian authorities of their "legal obligation to respect and protect" the lives of prisoners following the fire.
Callamard noted the prison is "notorious" and retweeted a post from journalist Jason Rezaian whose "544 Days" podcast recounts the time he spent incarcerated in the prison.
"Evin is no ordinary prison. Many of Iran's best & brightest have spent long stretches confined there, where brave women & men are denied their basic rights for speaking truth to power," Rezaian wrote. "The regime is responsible for what happens to those inside right now."
Meanwhile, cities throughout Iran remain gripped in nationwide protest movements led by girls and women following the death of a young woman in police custody.
In September, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died after she was detained by the country's morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly. Iranian authorities have since unleashed a brutal crackdown on demonstrators, who have united around a range of grievances with the country's authoritarian regime.
Witnesses previously said that Iranian security forces beat, shot and detained students at Tehran's Sharif University. Last month, nearly two dozen children were killed during the protests, according to a report by Amnesty International.
At least 23 children -- some as young as 11 -- were killed by security forces in the last 10 days of September alone, the report said.
Earlier this week, an Iranian official also admitted that school students participating in street protests are being detained and taken to psychiatric institutions.
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