Hackers release CCTV, documents from notorious Iranian prison

An Iranian hacktivist group leaked classified documents and CCTV footage from an Iranian prison to a London-based media outlet on Monday, shedding light on the inner workings of prison and justice system in the country.

The material received by Iran International from hacktivist group Edalat-e Ali ("Ali's Justice") included video footage reportedly showing guards at the Ghezel Hazar prison reacting to the facility's cameras being cut off.

The group also hacked the prison's computers, obtaining a list of hundreds of inmates who were detained during Iran's 2019 protests.

The documents listed charges and punishments, including lashings and long custodial sentences for chanting anti-regime slogans, owning banned books, or parking cars near the sites of protests.

Iran International said one judicial document signed by Tehran's deputy prosecutor Mir-Mostafa Seyyed-Ashrafi, related to the country's efforts to counter legal challenges in Europe over Iran's controversial human rights record.

The proceedings, the document noted, are non-binding but could lead to Iranian officials being arrested abroad in the future.

Edalat-e-Ali's latest hack follows its streaming of anti-government messages on Iranian state television last week, as well as its release on Wednesday of "highly confidential" minutes from an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps meeting in November.

The hacktivist group has claimed several hacks against Iranian authorities in recent years, including a similar hack of the Evin Prison's security cameras in 2021.