Judiciary chief blames handful of enemy's agents for Evin fire

October 18, 2022 - 19:14

TEHRAN- Iranian Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei stressed on Monday that the deadly fire incident at Tehran's Evin Prison was "a crime committed by a number of the enemy's agents."

Mohseni Ejei commented on the details surrounding the fire that tore through sections of the detention center in the northwest of the Iranian capital on Saturday night.

According to media sources at the time, fights between many inmates who had been found guilty of theft and financial offenses led to the fire that started in one of Evin prison's tailoring workshops.

Based on the latest reports, 61 individuals were hurt in the event, and four convicts who had been convicted of financial crimes died "due to smoke inhalation." Four more prisoners who had been hurt in the incident died on Sunday night, bringing the total number of fatalities to eight.

He went on to highlight that “what happened in Evin prison was a crime perpetrated by few of the enemy’s agents. We witnessed that a small number of people tried to set fire to a workshop that had been set up to provide employment opportunities for serving prisoners and help their families. Meanwhile, a meeting hall that had been built with the purpose of developing the prisoners’ talents and educating them was also set ablaze.”

“The enemy’s agents actually aimed for the sites that were of paramount significance to the Iranian Prisons' Organization as they were used for the re-socialization of prisoners,” the top judge emphasized. 

Mohseni Ejei added that by doing this, in addition to carrying out an act that resulted in a number of prisoners being killed and injured, they also caused worry among the families of the prisoners.

The Zionist, American, and British war-mongering and rabble-rousing centers and offices, as well as other anti-Iran centers, acted like a "war room" on the night of the fire incident, just like they did during the riots across the country, according to the Judiciary chief. 

"Undoubtedly, the perpetrators of the crime in Evin prison prepared the ground for them to advance their agendas," he added.

Mohseni Ejei also said the main instigators of the most recent riots should be put on trial right away.

He added that the trials "should be held publicly, upon the decision of the judges and in compliance with legal regulations, so that the public are apprised of the crimes of these rabble-rousing elements."

Foreign-backed anti-Iran media outlets on Saturday night linked the fire in Evin to protests over Mahsa Amini’s death.

Mahsa Amini, a woman of Kurdish descent, fainted at a morality police station in Tehran on September 13 following her arrest and sadly died three days later. 

The matter sparked protests by Iranians in various cities, but some extremists scuttled the demonstrations and incited violence against security authorities, spreading havoc and torching public property.

President Ebrahim Raisi requested a comprehensive probe into the situation as soon as Amini died unexpectedly.

With the official investigation rolling out October 7, her death was brought on by a disease rather than suspected blows to the skull or other crucial bodily parts.

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