Iran’s state media said a fire broke out late Saturday at a women’s prison used for political inmates, including those arrested in recent anti-government protests.
(Bloomberg) — Iran’s state media said a fire broke out late Saturday at a women’s prison used for political inmates, including those arrested in recent anti-government protests.
The blaze at Qarchak correctional facility about 40 kilometers southeast of Tehran started in a ward housing death-row inmates after prisoners set their clothes and beds on fire, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
No one was injured, and the fire was contained within 10 minutes, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency said in a separate report.
The incident occurred on the first anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died in police custody after being arrested for allegedly wearing improper clothes. Thousands were arrested in protests that followed, including scores of female detainees who were reportedly transfered to Qarchak prison.
Saturday’s fire recalled another in October at Tehran’s Evin prison in which eight people died.
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