Iran says 71 killed in Israeli attack on Evin prison, officials suspicious of ceasefire
The death toll from the strike was released on Sunday by
Iran's judiciary and confirmed by human rights groups as the one-week mark of the ceasefire between Israel and Iran approaches, despite suspicions on both sides about whether the truce will hold.
Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir posted on the office's official Mizan news agency website that at least 71 people were killed on Monday, including staff, soldiers, prisoners and members of visiting families.
While officials did not provide a breakdown of the casualty figures, the Washington-based Human Rights Activists in Iran said at least 35 were staff members and two were inmates. Others killed included a person walking in the prison vicinity and a woman who went to meet a judge about her imprisoned husband's case, the organisation said.
The June 23 attack, the day before the ceasefire between
Israel and Iran took hold, hit several prison buildings and prompted concerns from rights groups about inmates' safety.
It remains unclear why Israel targeted the prison, but it came on a day when the Defence Ministry said it was attacking 'regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran'.
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