An Israeli airstrike on Tehran’s Evin Prison last week killed 71 people, Iran’s judiciary said Sunday, marking one of the most symbolic targets hit during the recent air war between the two countries.
Judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir said the June 23 strike killed administrative staff, military conscripts, detainees, visiting family members, and nearby residents. His comments were published by the judiciary’s news outlet, Mizan.
“In the attack on Evin Prison, 71 people were martyred,” Jahangir said, adding that part of the prison’s administrative wing was destroyed and that surviving detainees had since been transferred to other facilities in Tehran province.
The bombing of Evin — Iran’s most infamous jail for political prisoners — signaled an escalation in Israeli targeting, extending beyond military and nuclear sites to hit core institutions of the Islamic Republic’s authority.
Among Evin’s inmates are several foreign nationals, including two French citizens, Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, detained since 2022. Their presence drew criticism from Paris.
“The strike targeting Evin prison in Tehran put our citizens in danger. It is unacceptable,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X (formerly Twitter) following the attack.
