Zionist Israel blew up large parts of Evin Prison in Tehran on Monday, June 23, 2025, on family visitation day, destroying the entrance and seriously damaging other buildings. At least 71 people were killed, including visiting family members, custodians, staff, a clinic doctor, and young conscripted soldiers (under 21 yrs old).¹ There were also casualties in the neighborhood around the prison.

This military aggression by Israel against Iran began on June 13, followed by the U.S. dropping 30,000 pound bombs on Iran’s alleged “nuclear enrichment sites"² on June 22. Think a minute: Israel bombed Evin prison, just one day after the U.S. massive bombing of several areas of Iran. This is war crime upon war crime by two of the most dangerous terror regimes in our world: the bloodthirsty U.S. imperialist and its unleashed attack dog NazIsrael.

IRI Ramps Up Internal Repression in the Face of War

Evin Prison has been a notorious site of torture, hangings, and political repression for 55 years. It was built by the Shah of Iran, a dictator who was imposed by the CIA in a 1953 coup, and was a dungeon for political prisoners.³ After the 1979 revolution, which toppled the Shah but was highjacked by Islamic fundamentalists, they repurposed and expanded Evin, along with elements of the Shah’s secret police, torturers and military, to impose a capitalist fascist theocracy which is the Islamic Republic of Iran (IR) today.

Before the Israeli bombing, Evin Prison held many political prisoners. They were in extremely cramped, unhealthy and repressive conditions, but sections of prisoners had developed very significant support networks inside and outside the prison. This was especially true of the political prisoners of the women’s ward, which for years had been a beacon of defiance and played an extraordinarily courageous role in being some of the most outspoken resisters to the IRI’s misogynistic regime, a thorn in the side diminishing the international political clout of the IRI. This could be seen before, during and after the 2022-2023 Woman, Life, Freedom uprising as the women’s ward held several protests and issued many rebellious statements.

Although many prisoners are not yet accounted for, it is known that prisoners were beaten during the Israeli bombing, and afterwards forcibly transferred in handcuffs. It is reported the women were sent to Qarchak Prison south of Tehran, and the men to Greater Tehran Penitentiary. Recently a report appeared on the support network of political prisoner Anisha Asadollahi, based on a phone call, that was published on IG:

Qarchak Prison in Varamin [County], where political women have now been transferred, houses thousands of women… For women who have been in this prison for years with long sentences, the constant malnutrition, the exorbitant prices of health and essential goods in the prison store, and constant discrimination such as restrictions on telephone calls, restrictions on clothing, and the humiliating treatment of officers, especially in the guard officer's office, are part of an endless and exhausting nightmare. The lives and health of all these women in Qarchak Prison are at risk…. Political prisoners must be released immediately and unconditionally. Their voices must not be allowed to be silenced.

As far as the male prisoners transferred from Evin, the human rights lawyers’ group Dadban reported:

An informed source told the court that the prisoners transferred to the Greater Tehran Prison (including political and [other] prisoners) are currently all being held in halls with a capacity of 30 to 40, with the number of people in these halls [now] being between 100 and 120, and this severe overcrowding has made the health and security situation extremely dangerous for the prisoners. These halls have only one refrigerator and 5 gas burners….

This could facilitate disappearances or various kinds of harm to political prisoners whose current health and well-being are still unknown after the transfer from Evin. For example, on June 26, Burn the Cage, Free the Birds movement posted about political prisoner Mehran Raouf, who was one of the 9 signers of a letter posted at IEC website against Israel’s genocide in Gaza:

Mehran Raouf, a political prisoner held in Evin prison for nearly six years without a single day of leave, has been transferred to Greater Tehran Penitentiary (Fashafouyeh Prison) along with other male prisoners. Mehran Raouf and all political prisoners must be released immediately. Political prisoners in Evin are living in very poor conditions after being transferred to Greater Tehran and Qarchak prisons, without basic living conditions. Let's be their voice.

Heightened Arrests/Repression inside Iran

The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) cites credible reports that as many as 1,000 have been rounded up in Tehran.⁴ Since Israel began its aggression or shortly before, eight individuals have been hanged on alleged espionage charges.

The human rights group HRANA reported that Iranian security forces have arrested at least 286 people for expressing opinions related to recent events and charged them with online propaganda against the regime. Security roadblocks are stopping vehicles to check for people who may have used their phones to photograph war damages.

A spokesman for Iran’s Judiciary stated in Mehr News (a semi-official IRI news agency) that the current provisions in Iran’s Penal Code regarding espionage are inadequate for countering “modern spy techniques,” and that Iran’s parliament plans to provide the judiciary with broader authority to impose deterrent punishments on supposed spies. The proposed laws will include vague and overly broad descriptions of espionage and could even impose the death penalty for such activities as social media posts.

Trump Fascist Regime Terrorizes Iranian and ALL Immigrants

Over the past week, news reports in the U.S. emerged of ICE's vicious kidnappings of numerous Iranian immigrants, including in the large Iranian neighborhood of Tehrangeles (near UCLA in West Los Angeles). This went hand in hand with the military aggression on Iran by the U.S. and Israel. Over 130 were rounded up recently, with at least 670 Iranian nationals in ICE detention. It should be noted that the U.S. government has historically treated immigrants in relation to its imperialist needs/interests in their country of origin and not due to any “good vs. bad” citizenship status/behavior in the US. Consider the historical fact of Executive Order 9066 that sent 120,000 Japanese people to internal U.S. concentration camps during WWII, the majority U.S. citizens, many middle class. There have been calls for citizens to report their suspicions of U.S.-based Iranians, echoing the Nazi Germany campaign for people to report Jews — or that against Japanese people in the U.S. during WWII.

Those detained by ICE include “Iranian asylum-seekers who fled the Islamic Republic… despite having what lawyers and advocates consider credible-fear cases pending in court,” reported NBC. “Many of the asylum-seekers are Christians who fled Iran and its intolerant views toward non-Muslim religions. … The sudden detentions have prompted some Iranians to go on hunger strikes in custody and triggered at least one medical emergency during an attempted arrest.”

The USA#1 jingoism/social chauvinism is very threatening to lives here and around the world and must be fought against. In closing, note the Trumpist ghoul Stephen Miller imprint as exposed in the June 27 Paul Street Report “Press Release from Refuse Fascism's Washington DC Chapter on Today's Supreme Court Decision to Unleash Mein Trumpf…”:

The fascist gangster Trump has posted a "Bomb Iran" parody clip, of the Beach Boys' 1965 song (including the lyric “turn Iran into a parking lot”), showing the B-2 bombers that inflicted US strikes on Iranian “nuclear weapons” sites five days ago.

Any attacks on Iran, and on Iranians living in the U.S., must be actively opposed and resisted as part of the struggle to unseat the Trump regime. Actively protest all the savage ICE/police terror on the immigrant communities across this country, including Iranians.

Now more than ever, the conclusion of IEC’s Emergency Appeal issued and published in 2021 with over 5000 signers from 50 countries stands out: In the U.S., we have a special responsibility to unite very broadly against this vile repression by the IRI, and to actively oppose any war moves by the U.S. government that would bring even more unbearable suffering to the people of Iran.

‍We demand of the Islamic Republic of Iran: FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS NOW!
We say to the U.S. government: NO THREATS OR WAR MOVES AGAINST IRAN! LIFT U.S. SANCTIONS!‍

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FOOTNOTES:

1. This is the official number from the Iranian regime as of this writing (June 29). The regime has not publicized  all the survivors, causing continuing stress among families and supporters of prisoners.  

2. See “U.S. Bombs Iran—Illegitimate Act of War By Illegitimate Fascist Regime, Madman Trump Threatens Even More Death and Destruction, Posing Catastrophic Danger to Humanity: Trump MUST GO NOW!,” revcom.us, June 23, 2025.

3. For historical background, see Resource page on Repression, Resistance and the Potential for Revolution in Iran, revcom.us, Updated March 2, 2025.  

4. “Iran Launches Sweeping Crackdown: Hundreds Detained, Executions Underway”, iranhumanrights.org, June 26, 2025.

  _______________

“We express our deep concern about the unjust and inhumane situation of political and ideological prisoners.”

A statement by a group of prominent individuals was posted by the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, currently on medical furlough from Evin Prison. Signers include former political prisoners Nahid Taghavi and Atena Daemi, as well as world renowned Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof. Below is the post text in full. 

History shows that authoritarian regimes often use wars and external crises as a pretext to intensify repression at home. Wars bring devastation and grave human rights violations. The Israeli attack on Evin Prison — carried out in broad daylight, in front of families and visitors — is clearly a war crime.

While Iranians are still reeling from the recent conflict, a new wave of arrests has begun. Reports indicate that many detentions happen without due process, legal justification, or evidence. In many cases, the standard accusation is “espionage.” Yet history, experience, and even statements by former and current Islamic Republic officials reveal that the power structure itself — not ordinary people — has long been infiltrated by foreign intelligence.

Instead of transparency and accountability, the authorities continue to use security-driven measures to tighten control in this post-war moment. Many families have no information about where their loved ones are being held. Prisoners from Evin’s general wards have been transferred to other prisons around Tehran, often in harsh and inhumane conditions. No official information has been released about those previously held in solitary confinement or security wards.

We, the undersigned, express our deep concern about the unjust and inhumane situation of political and ideological prisoners. We demand an immediate halt to executions, an end to the security crackdown, and the unconditional release of all political and ideological prisoners.

Aras Amiri, Mahnaz Parakand, Jafar Panahi, Nahid Taghavi, Mohammad Habibi, Atena Daemi, Vida Rabbani, Mohammad Rasoulof, Amir Raeisian, Nazanin Zaghari, Abdolfattah Soltani, Mohammad Seifzadeh, Attaollah Shirazi, Arash Sadeghi, Shirin Ebadi, Mohammad Karimbeygi (father of Mostafa Karimbeygi), Maryam Claren, Narges Mohammadi, Fatemeh Maleki (wife of Mohammad Nourizad), Akram Neghabi (mother of Saeed Zeinali), Pouran Nazemi, Farzaneh Nazaranpour.

An Urgent Appeal from a group of Evin Prison inmates after Monday’s attack:

“On Monday, June 23, 2025, following an airstrike by Israeli fighter jets on Evin Prison, parts of the administrative buildings, infirmary, and the detention office of the prison’s prosecutor’s office were severely damaged. Part of Ward 4 collapsed, windows shattered, and due to prisoners rushing downstairs to save their lives, several were injured. The prison infirmary has been completely destroyed and there are no basic medical facilities in the wards to treat the wounded. Prison officials are refusing to transfer the injured outside and have effectively abandoned them without care.

Meanwhile, security forces and prison guards have deployed heavily inside the wards, creating a highly repressive atmosphere instead of assisting prisoners. Threats, intimidation, and pressure on prisoners—especially after the attack—have increased. Outside the prison, highways leading to Evin have been blocked, and families are being prevented from reaching the facility. Nevertheless, a number of families have gathered in front of the prison despite the danger.

We, the besieged and defenseless prisoners, declare: We had nowhere to escape during the bombing, nor have we had any refuge from the organized violence that has crushed our lives and dignity for years.

We call on the people, families, and all those with a conscience:
Do not remain silent. Gather now in front of Evin Prison to save our lives.
We are wounded, threatened, and could die at any moment.

—A group of Evin Prison inmates,  June 23, 2025"

Somayeh Kargar, former political prisoner in Iran, now in exile, posted a statement in part:

"Since the beginning of the Israeli aggression, the Islamic Republic has been warned to immediately release political prisoners and not to take advantage of them as hostages of war. But the lives of prisoners are of no value to the Islamic Republic or to Israel. The time has come to release the prisoners into the hands of the people.

‍The only way to save the prisoners of Evin is for all families to gather with the help and support of a large number of people from Tehran and other cities in front of Evin. Students from various universities, activists of labor social movements and teachers, women and retirees, and especially human rights activists, must play an important role in calling and organizing people to save the prisoners.

‍This can be a turning point in the broad unity and solidarity to confront all the evils of Israel/U.S. and the Islamic Republic regime. Our people must take their destiny into their own hands. Releasing political prisoners can be an important step toward that.
signed: Communist Party of Iran, Marxist-Leninist-Maoist (CPIMLM) "

‍

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Note:  On June 21, the US bombed Iran. Just four days earlier, a statement from the “No to Execution
Tuesdays” campaign by hunger striking prisoners had warned of the threat to their lives by being “bombs
from the sky and riot police behind bars

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As Israeli bombs rain death on Iran, prisoners caught in crossfire stand firm

“The Iranian people have been embroiled in a war that they did not and do not want at all.” So begins the June 17 statement by the weekly hunger strike campaign “No to Execution Tuesdays” now in 47 prisons across Iran.  (Read IEC’s translation of full prisoners’ statement https://www.instagram.com/p/DLB5l4mu7tR/)
The prisoners’ campaign describes two chillingly emblematic incidents during this week of terror.

Caught between bombs from the sky and riot police behind bars

In the early hours of June 16, Israeli missiles rained down near the Dizel Abad Prison in Kermanshah, a majority-Kurdish city in Western Iran. Amid broken glass and the deafening sound of explosions, inmates demanded to be moved to a safer location. Instead, guards fired directly at prisoners, killing 9-10 and wounding many more. Riot control forces were deployed, using pellet guns, tear gas, and other means of suppression to subdue prisoners. Some prison doors were reportedly welded shut to restrict movement within the facility. The bodies of the deceased were secreted out in private vehicles, and all communication with the prisoners has been cut off since.[1]

‍

The prisoners’ campaign also notes that on the same day, Esmail Fekri was hanged in Ghezel Hesar Prison on charges of “sending sensitive information to Israel” although no evidence or details have been provided to substantiate the charges.[2]

There is a mortal danger to the political prisoners — and to all who are resisting the regime's fascist theocratic rule. All this will greatly increase repression and even possibly the massacre of prisoners (as happened in 1988 in Iran). It may encourage the regime's social base to conflate Israel with Iranian dissidents(especially those of oppressed regions). Amnesty International has raised the alarm about the IRI’s calls for expedited trials and executions .[3] In the week since the first Israeli airstrikes (June 17), the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) has arrested at least 300 people on vague charges like espionage or “collaboration” with Israel, including for merely publishing war-related photos on social media.[4] As of June 20, there is a country-wide shutdown of the internet, meaning loved ones can’t find one another and people can’t receive evacuation warnings,greatly increasing the sense of panic and chaos.

What kind of people are being arrested for aiding Israel? It was reported that at least 18 teenage girls were arrested on June 17 in Mahabad, a majority-Kurd city, for expressing opinions about the war on social media. They were temporarily released after several hours of interrogation under pressure and threats, with a court case filed and receiving bail.

In another example, on June 19, 30 plainclothes officers raided the home of dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi and held him incommunicado for 5 hours before releasing him. This was two days after he had scathingly criticized the warning (by Trump, although Toomaj didn’t name him) to “Evacuate Tehran”, which directly contradicts the regime’s excuse that dissidents are “helping Israel”.  

War Danger to Prisoners

On June 16, Israel issued a warning to evacuate District 3 in Tehran, home to 330,000 people, many of whom would be unable to evacuate. Among those are 15,000 inmates in Evin Prison who are not only unable to escape Israeli bombs but have been cut off from any phone calls.

On June 19, several political prisoners in Evin signed a letter demanding temporary furloughs to enable them to leave the war-torn area. The duty to protect prisoners from harm during war is specified by international law.[5]  Political prisoners in Evin Prison in particular have continued to struggle to bring moral and political clarity under dire conditions. Evin Prison, especially the women’s ward, has been long-known as a bastion of political resistance.This makes Israel’s bombing of Evin Prison all the more criminal and depraved. And this role highlights the importance of continuing to fight to free all political prisoners in Iran and to stop ALL executions.

One way (of many) to do this is to bring alive for people in the US the deep humanity and solidarity of these prisoners, is to promote the new book written by Sepideh Gholian while imprisoned in Evin, Evin Prison Bakers’ Club, Surviving Iran’s Most Notorious Prison in 16 Recipes (see our review). We are overjoyed to report that 30-year-old Sepideh was just released after completing her most recent 2.5 year imprisonment.

We conclude with the end of the statement from the hunger strikers from last week:

The presence and solidarity of the people is more important than ever in these critical days caused by the wars...You, the conscious and free people, are the only support and voice for us prisoners.

The release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience and the immediate revocation of all death sentences must become a public demand because the lives of political prisoners and those sentenced to death are in grave danger, and it is feared that the government will, as in the past, take those convicted to the slaughterhouse to intensify repression and intimidation.

The "No to the Death Penalty Tuesdays" campaign will be on hunger strike in the 73rd week of Tuesday, June 17, in 47 prisons."

‍

So People Everywhere Can Learn What's Happening And Can ACT NOW!

In light of the grave situation in Evin prison and the  other hell-hole prisons across Iran, it is crucially important to get the courageous words and resistance into the public square.

This is concentrated in the IEC’s demands: Free Iran’s political prisoners NOW! No US War Moves on Iran

This a message must ring out across social media, emails, and texts, and in the public square! This will give heart to the prisoners, their loved ones, and millions of Iranians. People everywhere need to be squarely confronted with the unfolding reality, so they — and especially those of us in the US, the country that sponsors Israel’s bombs and itself has now dropped massive bombs on Iran — can ACT commensurate with the urgency and gravity of the peril to the political prisoners.

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