On June 23, Israel carried out an airstrike on Iran’s infamous Evin Prison, a symbolic move aimed at disrupting the Islamic Republic’s apparatus for suppressing dissent.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed the operation, stating that the strikes on Tehran included targeting Evin Prison, which houses political prisoners and dissenting voices.
The precision attack damaged the prison’s heavily fortified main gate and nearby administrative buildings. Videos shared online showed the charred remains of the prison entrance.
NATO chief states US strikes on Iran did not violate international law. While Iranian media alleged the attack aimed to breach the prison entrance to facilitate prisoner escapes, Israeli officials neither confirmed nor denied this. However, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar shared footage of the bombing on X, captioned with the Spanish phrase, “¡Viva la libertad!” (Long live freedom).
We warned Iran time and again: stop targeting civilians!
They continued, including this morning.
Our response:
Viva la libertad, carajo!@JMilei pic.twitter.com/pVdlWvCDqQ— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) June 23, 2025
Iran’s Most Feared Detention Center
Nestled in the foothills of northern Tehran, Evin Prison was built in 1971 and soon gained infamy under the brutal rule of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, it was transformed into a holding site for the Shah’s former allies—followed by the very revolutionaries who had brought about the regime change.
Today, Evin is operated by various powerful security bodies, including the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Ministry of Intelligence. It houses an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 inmates, among them political dissidents, protesters, journalists, and foreign nationals charged with national security offences.
A Symbol of Repression and Hostage Diplomacy
Evin Prison is notorious for torture, arbitrary detention, and denial of due process. Amnesty International’s 2020 report Trampling Humanity documented rampant abuse within its walls, including beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence, and sensory deprivation.
One of its most feared sections, Ward 209, is controlled by intelligence operatives and is infamous for “white torture”—a form of prolonged solitary confinement aimed at psychologically destroying inmates, according to Human Rights Watch.
Evin has become a focal point of global human rights concerns, particularly for its role in Iran’s practice of detaining foreign nationals to gain diplomatic leverage.
In 2003, Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi died in Evin just 18 days after her arrest. She was 55. An autopsy revealed signs of torture and sexual assault.
Iranian-American journalist Jason Rezaian, former Tehran bureau chief for The Washington Post, was held at Evin for 18 months on espionage charges.
In recent years, Western governments have accused Iran of engaging in “hostage diplomacy”—using foreign detainees as bargaining chips for political or financial gain.
One such case was that of British-Iranian national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, sentenced to five years on fabricated national security charges. She was released in 2022 after the UK agreed to resolve a decades-old debt with Iran.
Horrifying Abuse of Women Inmates
The suffering inside Evin Prison is especially severe for women. In 2022, imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi released a letter exposing the sexual violence, harassment, and degrading treatment inflicted by male guards and interrogators.
Women arrested for participating in anti-government protests following the death of Mahsa Amini told the BBC they were subjected to brutal beatings, hours-long daily interrogations, solitary confinement, and threats against their families by prison authorities.
Advocates also highlight severe medical neglect and the denial of basic hygiene products, further worsening conditions for female inmates.
Israel’s Message
Israel’s strike on Evin Prison goes beyond a tactical military move—it delivers a powerful symbolic message. The prison, long condemned by human rights groups and foreign governments, is widely seen as the core of Iran’s domestic machinery of repression.
By targeting its gates, Israel appears to be sending a clear signal: Evin is not just a detention facility, but a symbol of state-sponsored brutality. The strike underscores Israel’s view that the prison is a tool of oppression—and that such symbols are now legitimate targets.
