The interior of the Evin prison complex in Tehran, which was targeted by an Israeli strike on June 23, as seen on June 25, 2025. (Credit: Mostafa Roudaki/AFP)
The Israeli airstrikes carried out on June 23, 2025, against Iran's Evin prison in Tehran "were unlawful, indiscriminate, and amount to a war crime," Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday in a statement.
The Israeli attack on the political prison, during the war with Iran, killed at least 80 people, according to official Iranian statements, including "prisoners, their family members and prison staff," in addition to the destruction of several buildings in the complex, the report notes. It stresses: "Under international humanitarian law, also known as the law of war, prisons are presumed to be civilian objects."
"The Israeli strikes on Evin prison on June 23 killed and injured dozens of civilians with no apparent military target, in violation of the laws of war, and clearly constitute a war crime," said Michael Page, deputy director for the Middle East at HRW. "The Israeli attack endangered the already precarious lives of Evin's prisoners, many of whom are dissidents and activists wrongfully detained."
Between June 24 and July 29, HRW interviewed 22 people about the attack, including victims’ relatives and prisoners, former Evin detainees, and others with extensive knowledge of the prison. According to the report, the NGO's investigation "found no evidence of military targets in the Evin prison complex at the time of the Israeli strikes," stating that "none of the sources interviewed, including recently released prisoners, their family members, and lawyers who have repeatedly visited the prison, reported knowledge of the presence of military personnel, weapons or Iranian military equipment within the complex."
The war between Iran and Israel, from June 13 to 25, was sparked by an initial series of "preventive strikes" carried out by Israel. During the 12 days, the Israeli army conducted, among other actions, airstrikes on Iranian soil targeting Tehran's nuclear program, while Iran fired numerous ballistic missiles at Israel until a cease-fire was reached.
