Iran's judiciary says Israeli strike on Tehran's Evin prison killed 71
Rights groups say the heavily fortified Evin prison holds political prisoners and foreign nationals. (Maxar Technologies/AFP pic)
TEHRAN : An Israeli strike on Tehran's Evin prison during this month's 12-day war killed at least 71 people, Iran's judiciary said today, days after a ceasefire ended hostilities between the two arch-foes.
The strike on Monday destroyed part of the administrative building at Evin, a large, heavily fortified complex in the north of Tehran, which rights groups say holds political prisoners and foreign nationals.
'According to official figures, 71 people were killed in the attack on Evin prison,' said judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir of the attack, 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.
Images shared by the judiciary showed destroyed walls, collapsed ceilings, scattered debris, and broken surfaces across waiting areas at the facility.
The judiciary said that Evin's medical centre and visiting rooms had been targeted.
On Tuesday, a day after the strike, the judiciary said that the Iranian 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 as well as several French nationals and other foreigners.
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