Israel’s lethal strike on Iran’s infamous Evin Prison killed 71 people including staff, visitors, and inmates, signaling a strategic shift beyond military targets into the heart of Tehran’s regime infrastructure.
Key Takeaways
- Israel bombed Tehran’s Evin Prison on June 23, killing 71 people including staff, prisoners, and visiting family members
- Evin Prison is notorious for housing political dissidents and has been documented as a site of torture and human rights abuses by the Iranian regime
- The strike represents a significant escalation, as Israel expanded targeting beyond military and nuclear sites to hit “regime targets and government repression bodies”
- The attack occurred just before a ceasefire took effect between Israel and Iran, which followed a period of intense mutual strikes
- Human rights groups have criticized both Israel for targeting a prison facility and Iran for failing to protect detainees
Israel Expands Target List to Include Regime Symbols
The Israeli airstrike on Tehran’s Evin Prison marks a dramatic escalation in Israel’s military strategy against Iran. Moving beyond conventional military and nuclear sites, Israel has now targeted a facility notorious for its role in the Iranian regime’s repression of dissidents. The June 23 strike, which killed 71 people according to Iranian officials, came just before a ceasefire between the two nations took effect. Among the dead were prison staff, inmates, soldiers performing military service, and family members who were visiting the facility at the time of the attack.
“Last week, Defence Minister Israel Katz said the air force was striking ‘regime targets and agencies of government repression’ across Tehran, including Evin Prison,” said Israel Katz.
The targeting of Evin Prison holds particular symbolic significance. For decades, the facility has served as the primary detention center for political prisoners, dissidents, and dual nationals held by the Iranian regime. By striking this symbol of repression, Israel appears to be sending a message that goes beyond military deterrence and potentially aims at undermining regime stability. Israeli officials have not explicitly confirmed regime change as an objective, but the selection of this target suggests a broader strategy at play.
Israel's attack on Tehran's Evin Prison killed 71
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At least 71 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tehran’s Evin Prison during Israel’s recent aggression against Iran, according to Iran’s Judiciary.Spokesman Asghar Jahangir described the 23 June attack as a… pic.twitter.com/iU8DjO5i1V
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) June 29, 2025
Notorious Prison with History of Human Rights Abuses
Evin Prison has earned international condemnation for its systematic human rights violations and brutal treatment of prisoners. Former detainees have provided harrowing accounts of torture, mock executions, and psychological abuse within its walls. These testimonies reveal the central role the facility plays in the Iranian regime’s suppression of political opposition and free expression. Amnesty International has extensively documented various forms of torture used against prisoners, including solitary confinement, beatings, and threats against family members.
“Iranian-Kurdish rapper Saman Yasin was incarcerated at the facility for two years for taking part in Iran’s 2022 uprising. He has since detailed a ‘mock execution’ he was subjected to, in which he was taken to a set of gallows and read his last rights. ‘I was under that noose for about 15 minutes, I think,’ he told CNN earlier this year. ‘I could tell that they had brought in a cleric, and he was reciting the Quran over my head … and he kept telling me: ‘Repent, so that you go to heaven’,” stated Saman Yasin.
In 2021, the anti-regime group Edaalate Ali hacked into Evin’s closed-circuit television system, exposing footage of prisoner abuse that confirmed years of allegations. The prison has held thousands of protesters, journalists, human rights defenders, and dual nationals over the years, often without proper legal proceedings. The Israeli strike killed at least two inmates among the 71 fatalities, according to Iranian officials, while the status of many high-profile political prisoners remains unclear in the aftermath of the bombing.
International Reactions and Escalation of Conflict
The attack on Evin Prison has drawn criticism from human rights organizations, which have questioned the legality of targeting a detention facility under international humanitarian law. Concerns have been raised about the proportionality of the strike and the failure to distinguish between military and civilian targets. Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister has called for the United Nations to recognize Israel and the United States as aggressors and demanded compensation for damage inflicted during the conflict.
“Yesterday, Asghar Jahangir, a spokesperson for Iran’s judiciary, was quoted in the country’s Mizan news outlet as saying 71 people had been killed in the attack. He said the number included ‘administrative staff, youth doing their military service, detainees, family members of detainees who were visiting them and neighbours who lived in the prison’s vicinity’,” stated Asghar Jahangir.
The prison strike occurred in the context of broader conflict that has claimed over 1,000 lives, including at least 417 civilians according to human rights groups. Iran had launched more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, resulting in 28 deaths, while Israel claims to have eliminated approximately 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists. Despite the current ceasefire, Iranian military officials have expressed skepticism about Israel’s commitment and warned of strong responses to any further aggression. The death of top prosecutor Ali Ghanaatkar in the Evin attack represents another significant casualty in this escalating conflict.
