Iran Prison Chief Apologizes After Leaked Abuse Videos
Voice of America
In a rare admission by Iranian authorities, the head of the country's prisons apologized for "unacceptable behavior" in Tehran's Evin prison after videos purportedly obtained by hackers showed abuse of prisoners.
A hacking group calling itself Edalat-e Ali (Ali's Justice) shared with Radio Farda and some other Persian media videos that appear to be from the prison's surveillance cameras and show guards beating prisoners and dragging an inmate on the floor. "Regarding the pictures from Evin prison, I accept responsibility for such unacceptable behavior and pledge to try to prevent any repeat of these bitter events and to deal seriously with the wrongdoers," Mohammad Mehdi Hajmohammadi said in a tweet reported by state media. "I apologize to God Almighty, our dear leader [Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei], the nation, and honorable prison guards, whose efforts will not be ignored due to these mistakes," Hajmohammadi said.Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27, 2024. Fire rages following an Israeli strike on an area designated for displaced Palestinians, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, in this still picture taken from a video, May 26, 2024. Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27, 2024. A member of the bomb squad of the Israeli police collects debris after a rocket fired by Palestinian militants struck in the Israeli city of Herzliya on May 26, 2024.