Debris of the main entrance of the Evin prison, which is destroyed in Israeli strikes, is pictured in northern Tehran, Iran, on 1 July 2025. [Getty]
Two weeks after the end of the war launched by Israel against Iran, clearer information is starting to emerge about the damage caused to civilians and public sites in Iran. One of the targets was the notorious Evin prison, which was hit by several projectiles on 23 June.
Israel described the strike as a symbolic attack aimed at key institutions of repression in Iran. In the immediate aftermath, Iranian authorities, who tightly controlled and censored information about casualties, only confirmed that several judiciary officials, staff members, and civilians had been killed.
On 4 July, a video showing the first moments after the attack was released. It revealed major damage to the prison, including the complete destruction of some buildings, as well as the library, the prisoners’ meeting area, and the infirmary. Iran’s judiciary initially announced the number of those killed as 71, later revising it to 79.
Meanwhile, the exact number of casualties remains unclear. On 7 July, The New York Times reported that approximately 100 transgender inmates held at Evin prison were “missing” following the attack; however, this report has not been confirmed by other sources. The New Arab also could not independently verify this claim.
In the days that followed, authorities withheld not only details about the extent of the damage but also information about the fate of many prisoners, particularly political prisoners, which caused deep concern among their families.
Rights groups, such as the Center for Human Rights in Iran, strongly condemned the regime’s censorship and demanded answers, specifically regarding the fate of Ahmadreza Jalali, an Iranian-Swedish physician and researcher who has been jailed in Iran since 2016 on espionage charges.
Shackled prisoners
The wife of one inmate, who had been imprisoned for financial crimes, told The New Arab about her fear and uncertainty during the three days following the attack.
“As soon as they said Evin had been hit, I rushed to the prison gates, but the security forces were already there and wouldn’t let the families of prisoners get close,” she said.
She described what she saw that day as “apocalyptic” and said it made her even more worried about the prisoners’ safety. From a distance, she could see that the large front gate had been torn down, and smoke was rising from several demolished buildings inside the prison.
“I couldn’t take it any more. Tears started running down my face. I thought, if this is what I can see from here, what’s happening inside? I just prayed that my husband was still alive.”
On the day of the attack, phone lines to the prison were cut, and unconfirmed reports said the prisoners had been transferred to Qezel Hesar and Fashafouyeh prisons near Tehran the night after. Families who went to these prisons looking for their relatives were turned away. Authorities provided no information.
It was only after three days that the source who spoke with TNA received a 30-second phone call from her husband, in which he said he had been moved to Fashafouyeh and was unharmed.
“He spoke quickly and said he couldn’t talk long because others were waiting to call their families. He just said he was okay and not injured,” she added.
During her first visit to Fashafouyeh, her husband confirmed reports, also shared by NGOs supporting political prisoners, that inmates had been transferred violently and without warning.
He said that on the evening of the attack, all the prisoners were lined up, handcuffed and shackled, and taken by bus out of Tehran. They were not given time to gather all their belongings and were forced to walk through the damaged prison before being moved.
Rights groups outrage
This method of transfer, especially for political prisoners, drew criticism from regime opponents and human rights organisations, who called for the release of the prisoners.
Bahar Ghandehari, director of advocacy at the Center for Human Rights in Iran, confirmed the brutal conditions surrounding the prisoner transfers.
According to reports received by the organisation, in the hours following Israel’s attack, security forces and Intelligence Ministry agents violently suppressed inmates, aiming guns at those who tried to help fellow prisoners.
“Despite fears of another Israeli attack, prisoners were forced back into their wards with the doors locked, water cut off, and electricity out in some areas. By nightfall, the prison was swarming with security forces, and prisoners were given ten minutes to prepare to be transferred, or they would be shot,” Ghandehari told TNA.
She added that prisoners, including political detainees transferred after the attack, are being held in appalling and life-threatening conditions.
“Prisons are dangerously overcrowded, filthy, infested with insects and pests, lacking proper ventilation, and utterly unfit for human habitation,” she said, describing the jails where the prisoners were transferred.
“Many prisoners are crammed into cells holding up to three times their intended capacity, forced to sleep on floors without access to basic hygiene, and denied adequate food and clean water,” she added.
Ghandehari also condemned Israel‘s strike on a site protected under international humanitarian law, stressing prisoners must never be targeted during armed conflict.
She rejected Israel’s justification for the attack on Evin prison as a symbolic act, calling it “legally baseless” and “morally reprehensible.”
“Israel’s calculated attack on Evin constitutes a blatant war crime and a serious breach of international law. It must be held fully accountable,” she added.