Iran Prison Chief Apologizes After Leaked Abuse Videos

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.