Families of prisoners left in the dark after Israeli strike kills 71 at Iran’s Evin prison

Rudaw

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least 71 people have been confirmed dead following Israel’s Monday strike on Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, Iran’s judiciary media office reported on Sunday. The attack has triggered widespread alarm among families of detainees - many of whom are held on political charges, including foreign and dual nationals.

Iranian judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir was quoted by the judiciary-run Mizan news agency as stating that “71 people have been martyred” as a result of the Monday strike so far. “The casualties include “the prison’s administrative staff, conscripts, prisoners, families of prisoners who had come to visit or follow up on legal cases, and nearby residents,” he added.

The Israeli strike followed Iran’s execution of a man accused of spying for Israel, as reported earlier that day by Mizan. In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar stated that the attack on Evin was intended to deter Iran’s executions.

“We warned Iran time and again: stop targeting civilians! They continued, including this morning,” Sa’ar remarked in a post on X.

Jahangir added that key buildings within the prison complex were hit, including the health center, the meeting hall, and the prosecutor’s office. Some of the injured were treated on site, while others were hospitalized and later discharged after receiving care.

Established in 1972, Evin Prison has long been a symbol of political repression in Iran. The facility is known for holding political prisoners, journalists, student activists, and foreign nationals. It has been widely condemned by human rights organizations for systematic abuse, including alleged torture and the use of dual nationals as leverage in international negotiations.

In the aftermath of the strike, Iran announced on Tuesday that inmates from Evin had been transferred to other facilities, without providing much details on where to.

As a result, concerns have been mounting among families of prisoners detained at Evin, many of whom remain in the dark about the fate of their loved ones.

Concern has surged on social media, with the viral hashtag #Where_Is_Our_Prisoner gaining traction.

Using the hashtag, Reza Younesi - brother of detained student Ali Younesi - sounded the alarm on Saturday, stating, “It has been 11 days since [my brother] Ali Younesi was forcibly taken from Ward 4 of Evin Prison to an unknown location.”

He added that neither the family nor their lawyer has received any information about his whereabouts, despite repeated inquiries.



Ali Younesi, a gold medalist at the 2018 International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics and a top computer engineering student, was arrested in April 2020 alongside fellow student Amir Hossein Moradi. Both were accused of ties to the exiled opposition group Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MEK). Their arrests sparked global concern over the targeting of Iran’s brightest young minds. Their arrests sparked global concern over the repression of Iran’s brightest young minds.

Meanwhile, the "Freedom for Cécile" campaign - advocating for the release of French literature teacher Cécile Kohler and her partner Jacques Paris - issued an urgent call on Saturday demanding immediate proof of life.

“It is a matter of life or death,” the campaign posted on X.

Kohler and Paris have been arbitrarily detained in Iran since May 7, 2022. Iranian authorities claim the couple were attempting to incite unrest by exploiting the grievances of the Iranian people. Authorities later released a video showing Kohler and Paris allegedly confessing to being spies and claiming they had entered the country with the intent to provoke dissent.

Tensions between Israel and Iran escalated sharply on June 13 after Israeli airstrikes killed senior Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel. A US-brokered ceasefire between the two nations took effect last Tuesday.

In the days since, Iran has announced multiple executions of individuals purportedly for spying for or cooperating with Israel. The authorities have also released several video confessions from several alleged spies.

However, human rights groups widely reject the authenticity of such confessions, citing Tehran’s history of forced admissions extracted under coercion, psychological pressure, and, in some cases, torture.