Iran prison fire death toll rises to 8 inmates killed

Iran’s judiciary raised the death toll on Monday in a blaze at Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, saying that at least eight prisoners were killed as protests continue nationwide.Details still remain scarce over the fire at Evin prison, which broke out on Saturday night as nationwide anti-government protests triggered by the death of a young woman in police custody entered a fifth week.The judiciary’s Mizan news agency offered the new toll, saying the prisoners had succumbed to their injuries on Sunday from the incident.It said all those dead had been held on theft charges.Mizan described the incident as a “fight between inmates and a fire,” though it offered no evidence to support the claim.Activists outside of Iran say they remain sceptical of the Iranian government’s claims, particularly as their recent descriptions of the nationwide protests have drastically differed with those on the ground.The semiofficial Fars news agency also reported that the death toll from the blaze has doubled, and said six inmates remain hospitalised following the fire.Flames and thick smoke rising from Tehran’s Evin Prison had been widely visible Saturday night. In online videos, gunshots and explosions could be heard in the area of the prison.The blaze was extinguished after several hours and no detainees escaped, state media said.