Iran says Israel kills 71 people in the attack, including staff, soldiers, prisoners and visiting family members.Rescue workers sift through rubble inside the Evin prison complex in Tehran after the Israeli attack. [Mostafa Roudaki/mizanonline via AFP]An Israeli air attack on Tehran’s Evin Prison during this month’s 12-day war has killed at least 71 people, Iran’s judiciary says, days after a ceasefire ended hostilities between the two arch foes.
The strike on Monday, the day before the ceasefire between Israel and Iran took hold, destroyed part of the administrative building at Evin, a large, heavily fortified complex in northern Tehran that rights groups said holds political prisoners and foreign nationals.
“According to official figures, 71 people were killed in the attack on Evin Prison,” judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir said on Sunday of an attack that was part of the bombardment campaign Israel launched on June 13.
According to Jahangir, the victims at Evin included administrative staff, guards, prisoners and visiting relatives as well as people living nearby.
The judiciary said Evin’s medical centre and visiting rooms were targeted.
A day after the strike, the judiciary said Iran’s prison authority had transferred inmates out of Evin Prison without specifying their number or identifying them.
The inmates at Evin have included Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi and several French nationals and other foreigners.
Excavators clear rubble outside Evin Prison in the Iranian capital. [Mostafa Roudaki/mizanonline via AFP]Monday's strike took place the day before a ceasefire between Israel and Iran took effect. It destroyed part of the administrative building at Evin. [Mostafa Roudaki/mizanonline via AFP]The victims at Evin included administrative staff, guards, prisoners and visiting relatives as well as people living nearby, according to authorities. [Mostafa Roudaki/mizanonline via AFP]Why Israel targeted the prison remains unclear, but the attack was carried out on a day when the Israeli Ministry of Defence said it was attacking "regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran". [Mostafa Roudaki/mizanonline via AFP]Emergency workers search through the rubble of a damaged section of Evin Prison. [Mostafa Roudaki/mizanonline via AP]The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran has criticised Israel for striking the prison, saying it violated the principle of distinction between civilian and military targets. [Mostafa Roudaki/mizanonline via AP]Sign up for Al JazeeraBreaking News AlertGet real-time breaking news alerts and stay up-to-date with the most important headlines from around the globe.