Amnesty International: Israeli strike on Iran's Evin prison 'a war crime'

Amnesty International has slammed Israel for alleged war crimes after air strikes on Tehran’s Evin prison killed dozens of civilians and left widespread destruction.

The rights group said its investigation, based on verified video footage, satellite imagery, and interviews with eyewitnesses, prisoners’ families and human rights defenders, showed Israeli forces deliberately bombed the prison during visiting hours on 23 June.

Iranian authorities say at least 80 civilians were killed, including prison staff, social workers and a five-year-old child. Amnesty verified the identities of some victims, including inmates, relatives visiting the facility, and nearby residents.

Evin prison, which is notorious for detaining human rights defenders, political dissidents, protesters and dual nationals, was holding an estimated 1,500–2,000 prisoners at the time.

Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty’s Senior Director for Research, Policy, and Campaigns said: "Directing attacks at civilian objects is strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law. Carrying out such attacks knowingly and deliberately constitutes a war crime."

The strikes destroyed and damaged several prison buildings and hit residential areas nearby. A resident living close to the complex told the organisation: "I suddenly heard a terrible sound… I thought our home would be safe because it’s near a prison. I couldn’t believe it."

Amnesty said there is no evidence Evin prison was being used for military purposes and warned that places of detention are presumed to be civilian facilities under international law. It called on prosecutors around the world to use universal jurisdiction to investigate and bring those responsible to justice.

Israeli officials boast of strike

Within hours of the attack, senior Israeli officials acknowledged the strike. Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X that Israeli forces were hitting "regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran including… Evin prison".

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar posted an unverified video apparently showing the prison gates being blown up, framing the attack as a "strike on a symbol of oppression for the Iranian people".

The Israeli military later confirmed it had carried out what it called a "targeted strike" on Evin prison, arguing the facility was linked to Iranian intelligence operations. Amnesty dismissed the justification and claimed that even the presence of intelligence officials or detainees accused of spying does not make a prison a legitimate military target.

Amnesty urged the International Criminal Court to be granted jurisdiction over crimes committed in or from Iranian territory and called on states to press for accountability.

"The Israeli forces should have known that any air strike on Evin prison would cause massive civilian harm," said Guevara Rosas. "The attack was not only unlawful but part of a deliberate strategy to inflict terror."