A local resident, whose house adjoins the prison, said she could see several buildings within the prison compound on fire and heard screams coming from inside. Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, she said she heard gunshots from 10 a.m. on Saturday. At 9 p.m., she said, she could hear sounds of automatic gunfire, followed by huge explosions.
What we consider before using anonymous sources. Do the sources know the information? What is their motivation for telling us? Have they proven themselves in the past? Can we corroborate the information? Even with those questions answered, the Times uses anonymous sources as a last resort. The journalist and at least one editor know the identity of the source.
The woman said the windows of many nearby houses were shattered by the blasts and residents could be heard shouting “death to the dictator”.
Long before the early hours of Sunday morning, and after the fires were reportedly extinguished, residents continued to report hearing additional explosions.
Internet and phone communications have been severely disrupted in Iran since anti-government protests began last month. On Saturday, the judiciary ordered telecommunications companies to ban text messaging services, further limiting Iranians’ ability to communicate.
Saturday’s fire, the first at the prison in recent memory, came amid nationwide protests that began in September following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody. manners. Ms Amini was accused of improperly wearing the compulsory headscarf, a violation of the law in the Islamic Republic.
Iranians, already on edge after more than a month of protests, said the prison fire had only heightened their concerns. The families of the detainees said they fear not only for the safety of their loved ones, but also for themselves.
Activists and human rights organizations have also expressed concern about the safety of prisoners.
“Prisoners, including countless political prisoners, are completely defenseless inside this prison,” Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran, said in a statement.