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Iran denies attack on prisoners

The head of Iran's prison organization has denied the attack reported in Evin prison, despite statements and letters from prisoners.
TO GO WITH AFP STORY IRAN-PRISON-RIGHTS BY STUART WILLIAMS
(FILES)An Iranian inmate peers from behind a wall as a guard walks by at the female section of the infamous Evin jail, 13 June 2006. From the road it is easy to miss. A small outhouse and a sign saying "Evin House of Detention" give no hint of the huge complex of guard towers and cells that lies behind.     AFP PHOTO/ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

The head of Iran’s prison organization has denied reported attacks on political prisoners in Iran’s Evin prison, and stated that the individual who shared this information with the media has been identified. This news contradicts many of the statements from prisoners inside Evin and those of the prisoners' families.

“Just as I said before, there was no confrontation at Ward 350,” Gholamhossein Ismaili said April 21 of the section in Evin prison where political prisoners are held. “There was only a routine inspection. The news of the confrontation between the prisoners and our employees is not true.” He added that the news was disseminated by a “hostile front” against the government.

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