Evin Prison

Evin Prison is a <a href="/facts/Prison/UoT7KM4J">prison</a> located in the <a href="/facts/Evin/hUg35sTk">Evin</a> neighborhood of <a href="/facts/Tehran/S8dmdwyG">Tehran</a>, <a href="/facts/Iran/24yukge8">Iran</a>. Established in 1972, and particularly notorious since the <a href="/facts/Iranian_Revolution/frTYhJ0F">1979 Islamic Revolution</a>, it has become the Islamic Republic's most infamous detention facility. The prison serves as the primary site for incarcerating <a href="/facts/Political_prisoner/QwWMH57J">political prisoners</a>, <a href="/facts/Journalist/LADe3dzs">journalists</a>, academics, <a href="/facts/Human_rights_defender/pqY45g6P">human rights activists</a>, <a href="/facts/Multiple_citizenship/kjN33Plr">dual nationals</a>, and foreign citizens accused of <a href="/facts/Espionage/oaDJ5fAd">espionage</a> or <a href="/facts/Propaganda/nGeaIHVJ">propaganda</a> offenses.
The prison has become internationally known for its systematic <a href="/facts/Human_rights/WMW5XCdM">human rights abuses</a>. Numerous reports document torture methods such as beatings, electric shocks, <a href="/facts/Mock_execution/qxhQCTR6">mock executions</a>, prolonged <a href="/facts/Solitary_confinement/1pHNL2YP">solitary confinement</a>, <a href="/facts/Forced_confession/yPc7KgCV">forced confessions</a>, <a href="/facts/Sleep_deprivation/uAUkKVEM">sleep deprivation</a>, and <a href="/facts/Sexual_abuse/33W0q0IS">sexual abuse</a>. In recent years, cases such as the mistreatment of imprisoned scholar Mahvash Seydal have highlighted the regime’s deliberate denial of medical care to female political prisoners as a form of punishment. A <a href="/facts/Evin_Prison_fire/czEIqqtt">deadly fire</a> in October 2022 further exposed the prison's chaotic conditions and the authorities’ failure to protect detainees.
Evin Prison has become a symbol of the Islamic Republic's apparatus of repression, silencing dissent through fear, violence, and psychological terror. Often likened to 'Iran’s <a href="/facts/Bastille/ITL1E1CF">Bastille</a>,' it holds a special place in the political imagination of many Iranians, symbolizing the Islamic Republic's <a href="/facts/Dictator/ueVW1a39">absolutist rule</a> and intolerance of dissent. People have been detained in Evin Prison for reasons including political dissent, activism, alleged espionage, and religious beliefs, particularly those of religious minorities like the <a href="/facts/Bah%25C3%25A1%25CA%25BC%25C3%25AD_Faith_in_Iran/uab4FWaM">Baháʼí community</a> and <a href="/facts/Christianity_in_Iran/3flrN3eF">Christian converts</a>. Several foreign nationals, including journalists such as Italian reporter <a href="/facts/Cecilia_Sala/TWTSplxz">Cecilia Sala</a>, have been detained at Evin, often used as political leverage in Iran’s international negotiations.
Evin Prison has been repeatedly condemned by international organizations including <a href="/facts/Amnesty_International/ouGBgSdS">Amnesty International</a>, <a href="/facts/Human_Rights_Watch/X265jj8r">Human Rights Watch</a>, the UN Special Rapporteur, and Iranian human rights groups for the atrocities committed within its walls.
On 23 June 2025, Israeli airstrikes targeted the prison's entrance, allowing prisoners to escape; reports indicated that groups of families of political prisoners and local residents attempted to reach the prison.

Evin Prison open-in-new

Evin Prison