According to reports, shots were fired as the fire broke out in the prison in the capital Tehran. Alarm was sounded as the US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran claimed an “armed conflict” was taking place behind the prison walls. Gunshots were said to have first been heard in Ward 7 of the prison, according to unverified reports. Thick smoke billowed from the prison, where freedmen Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori were now being held. At least eight people were said to have been injured in the fire, but no casualties were reported, according to state news agency IRNA. IRNA claimed there were clashes between prisoners and staff in a ward. However, an unnamed official told Iran’s Tasnim news agency: “No (civilian) security prisoner was involved in the clash between prisoners, and basically the ward for security prisoners is separate and away from the wards for thieves and those convicted of financial crimes . “ “The rioters were separated from the other prisoners” A senior security official claimed inmates set fire to a warehouse full of prison uniforms, adding that the “rioters” had been separated from other inmates to de-escalate the conflict. The situation is now said to be “fully under control” and work to extinguish the fire is underway. However, several eyewitnesses said ambulance sirens could still be heard and smoke could be seen above the prison. An eyewitness told the news agency Reuters: “The roads leading to Evin prison have been closed to traffic. There are many ambulances here. “Still, we can hear gunshots.” Another witness said families of prisoners had gathered in front of the prison’s main entrance and “people from nearby buildings are shouting ‘Death to Khamenei’ from their windows.” The internet is also said to have been blocked since the fire started. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 3:08 Why are Iranians protesting? Outrage over crackdown on Iran’s dress code The fire came as violent anti-government protests intensified across the country for a fifth week, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, with children among the dozens killed. International outrage erupted when Ms Amini, 22, died in custody on September 16 after being arrested by morality police in Tehran for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code. Iranian officials insist he was not mistreated in detention and previously said he suffered a heart attack. Read more: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: ‘World cannot turn a blind eye to Iran’ Britain sanctions Iran’s morality police after death of Mahsa Amini But her family believes her body showed signs of beatings after being detained. On Saturday night, Iran’s National Council of Resistance said people had gathered outside the Iranian embassy in London to protest the regime’s “criminal attack on prisoners” – and to urge the international community “to intervene to prevent another massacre at Evin prison.” . Image: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Photo: BBC People, including Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, cut their hair in defiance of the authorities – despite risking jail. This week, a senior Iranian official became the first to publicly criticize the regime’s hijab crackdown. Ali Larijani, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has called for a review of how girls and women who do not adhere to the Islamic dress code are treated. “Land of the Living Dead” Image: Anoosheh Ashoori Mr Ashoori has previously revealed his struggle to survive after five years in Evin prison for a crime he did not commit. He described the prison as a “circle of hell”, revealing how he had to beg guards for basic needs such as using the toilet. He was interrogated “day after day from eight in the morning until 10 or 11 at night”, as his captors made threats against his family, showing him pictures of his wife and children and warning that he would never see them again. He eventually reached “the threshold of mental suffering and had a mental breakdown” – leading to three unsuccessful suicide attempts, the last of which was a 17-day hunger strike. “When you’re here with a heavy sentence on you it’s like you’re dead but you’re not completely cut off from this world,” he said. The Twitter account @FreeAnnosheh posted on Saturday night: “Can’t imagine how awful and worried these poor families must be feeling. My heart goes out to everyone who has a loved one inside #Evin.”
