Iran’s judiciary announced on Sunday that Israel’s June 23 bombing of the Evin Prison in Tehran killed 71 people, a number that’s been corroborated by a US-based rights group that’s critical of the Iranian government.
“During the attack on the Evin Prison, 71 people — including prison administrative staff, soldiers, convicted inmates, families of the prisoners who had come for visitation or legal- follow-up, and people living nearby — were martyred,” said Asghar Jahangir, a spokesman for the judiciary, who said the attack was a “full-fledged crime.”
Jahangir said that the bombing occurred during visitation hours when inmates were meeting with their families and social workers. According to the US-based Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI), at least 35 of those killed were staff members, two were inmates, one was a woman visiting a judge about her imprisoned husband, and another person was killed while walking near the prison. The rest have yet to be identified by the group.
According to Israeli media, the strike on the prison, which is known to hold political prisoners, was an apparent effort to help prisoners escape. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that Israel struck the prison but didn’t give an official reason for the attack.
The Iranian government has said more than 600 Iranians were killed in the 12 days of Israel bombings, while the HRAI has put the toll significantly higher, saying 1,190 were killed. Out of the 1,190, the HRAI’s news agency, HRANA, has identified 436 civilians and 435 military personnel, while 319 remain unidentified.
The HRANA said that at least 65 children and 49 women were killed, and it released the names of 39 children who have been identified. The organization also recorded the killing of five doctors and four aid workers in strikes that targeted hospitals and other medical infrastructure.
