TEHRAN: 鈥淪everal鈥� inmates died and others were injured during a prison riot in northern Iran, during which security forces used tear gas, a judicial official said on Monday.
Sunday鈥檚 riot in Rasht, provincial capital of Gilan, comes as a wave of unrest has rocked Iran since Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, 22, died on September 16 after her arrest by the morality police in Tehran for allegedly violating the strict dress code for women.
The street violence has led to dozens of deaths, mostly of protesters but also of members of the security forces. Hundreds have also been arrested.
On Sunday, a brawl broke out between death row inmates at Lakan Prison of Rasht over 鈥減ersonal differences,鈥� the city鈥檚 public prosecutor Mehdi Fallahmiri was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.
鈥淎s the conflict escalated, it spread to the prison corridor, and more prisoners joined the brawl,鈥� he said.
鈥淥fficers arrived at the scene and used tear gas to calm and disperse the prisoners to end the riot after some inmates destroyed facilities in the corridor and prison hall and set them on fire,鈥� Fallahmiri said.
鈥淎s a result of this conflict ... several people died and some were injured,鈥� he added, saying the number of prisoners hurt was under investigation.
Fallahmiri said some inmates 鈥渟uccumbed to their injuries鈥� because 鈥渞ioters鈥� had prevented their transfer, while others 鈥渨ere taken to hospital for treatment.鈥�
鈥淭he situation ... is calm now and the daily activities of the prisoners continue.鈥�