Amnesty International has declared that Israel’s deliberate airstrikes on Tehran’s Evin Prison on June 23, 2025, may constitute a war crime under international humanitarian law.
The attack, which killed at least 80 civilians and injured scores more, targeted multiple sections of the prison complex during visitation hours, causing extensive destruction. Verified video footage, satellite imagery, and eyewitness testimonies confirm that the strikes hit at least six locations within the facility, including administrative buildings, medical clinics, and prisoner housing units. The Israeli military later confirmed the attack, with senior officials boasting about it on social media.
The attack resulted in the deaths of 79 men and women, including five female social workers, 36 prison staff members, and a five-year-old boy. Among the victims were
Leila Jafarzadeh, a 35-year-old woman posting bail for her husband, and Mehrangiz Imanpour, a 61-year-old painter living nearby. Survivors described horrific scenes, with prisoners and staff trapped under collapsed structures and fires spreading rapidly. “They could have left, but they didn’t… They saved me,” recounted Dr. Saeedeh Makarem, a volunteer physician rescued by inmates.
Under international humanitarian law, prisons are presumed civilian objects, and attacks on them are prohibited unless proven to serve a military function—a claim Amnesty found no evidence for. Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty’s Senior Director for Research, stated, “Directing attacks at civilian objects knowingly and deliberately constitutes a war crime.” The organization called for global prosecution of those responsible under universal jurisdiction and urged Iran to grant the International Criminal Court jurisdiction over the case. Satellite imagery and survivor accounts confirmed the strikes caused disproportionate harm, violating principles of distinction and proportionality.
Amnesty’s investigation, based on 22 verified videos, 59 photographs, and interviews with 23 witnesses, concluded that the attack marks a dangerous precedent in targeting civilian infrastructure during conflict. Amnesty’s findings underscore the urgent need for accountability to prevent further erosion of international humanitarian law.