Iranian court spokesman Asghar Jahangir announced on 29/6 that "71 people were killed when Evin prison was attacked, including administrative staff, young soldiers, prisoners, their visiting relatives, and people living nearby," referring to the Israeli airstrike on 23/6.
According to the Washington-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 35 prison staff and two prisoners were killed in the airstrike. Other victims included a pedestrian near the prison and a woman visiting to discuss her husband's case with a judge.
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The prosecutor's office building at Evin prison on 29/6. Photo: AP |
The prosecutor's office building at Evin prison on 29/6. Photo: AP
This is the first time Iran has released casualty figures following the Israeli airstrike on Evin prison. Iran confirmed on 28/6 that top prosecutor Ali Ghanaatkar was among the victims. He was among about 60 people given a collective funeral in Tehran that day and buried at a shrine in Qom on 29/6.
Evin is one of Iran's most notorious prisons. Many foreigners are also imprisoned there, including two French citizens who have been held for three years.
"The raid on Evin prison in Tehran endangered our citizens Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris. This is unacceptable," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot wrote on X after the attack.
It is unclear why Israel targeted Evin prison, but the incident occurred on the same day Tel Aviv announced it had attacked "government and repressive force targets in the heart of Tehran". The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran criticized the Israeli strike as a violation of the principle of not targeting civilian sites.
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Location of Tehran. Graphic: CNN |
Location of Tehran. Graphic: CNN
Some argue that Iran has a legal obligation to protect those imprisoned at Evin and condemn Tehran for its "lack of evacuation, medical assistance, and notification of prisoners' families" after the attack.
The conflict between Tel Aviv and Tehran erupted after Israel launched a preemptive airstrike campaign against targets in Iran, citing the need to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. The two sides then repeatedly attacked each other before reaching a US-brokered ceasefire on 24/6.
Pham Giang (According to AP, Reuters)
