Officials Say Death Toll From Iran Prison Fire Rose To Eight
The Iranian Judiciary's news agency says the number of deaths from the fire which broke out at Tehran’s Evin prison on Saturday evening has now risen to eight.
According to the Judiciary, four more prisoners, who were in critical condition in hospital, succumbed to their injuries to bring the death toll to eight.
The Monday report has not mentioned the cause of the new deaths while on Sunday it said the first four lost their lives due to inhaling smoke.
The identities of the deceased have not been revealed yet, but the hard-liner Judiciary says they were theft-related convicts.
There is no chance in Iran for any independent investigation as to how the blaze started and exactly how many prisoners were killed. The Judiciary is a political institution fully at the service of the ruling elite, directly under Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's control.
The large fire at the notorious prison began on Saturday evening, leaving tens of prisoners wounded while gunshots and blasts were also reported.
The prison fire infuriated the anti-government protesters once more with university students chanting slogans saying Evin had turned into a slaughterhouse.
The Evin fire caused global reactions soon after. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Sunday that Iranian authorities are responsible for lives of all detainees, including human rights defenders and EU nationals.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also said, “The government of Iran bears responsibility for all those imprisoned in Tehran's Evin Prison, including many political prisoners and demonstrators.”
Meanwhile, the number of signatures in an online campaign aimed at the leaders of the seven industrialized countries of the world, G7, has reached the 200 thousand mark. The petition calls on these countries to recall their ambassadors from Iran and expel diplomats and officials of the Islamic Republic.
Initiated by Kaveh Shahrouz, a lawyer and human rights activist living in Canada, on October 13, the campaign also demands the release of inmates from Iranian prisons.
However, reports from Iran show that the regime is still getting prepared to crack down on the protests and strikes. Following a strike and call for protests by the workers of Haft-Tappeh sugar factory in the southern oil-rich Khuzestan province, it was reported that the employer's agents are attempting to create division among the workers to prevent any gatherings.
However, the workers’ unofficial union social media channel has called on members to be alert and participate in a protest on Tuesday morning.
Iran’s oil workers last week joined the anti-regime protests. Workers of refineriesin southern oil-rich provinces of Bushehr, Khuzestan and Hormozgan such as Abadan Refinery and the petrochemical facilities in Asalouyeh, off the coast of the Persian Gulf, have been on strikes since last Monday.
This comes as the uprising of Iranians against the clerical regime draws more support from the diaspora and the international community.
In one of the latest reactions, the famous American pop star Britney Spears has expressed support for the protests. “Me & my husband stand with the people of Iran fighting for freedom,” Spears wrote on her Twitter account on Sunday.
The pop star's tweet came after her Iranian-American husband Sam Asghari, condemned the Iranian regime as "terrorists" last month.
