Women set fire to prison ward near Tehran - IRNA

It said female convicts on death row protesting the prison management set fire to the women's ward at the Qarchak jail by burning their clothes. It was unclear if the incident was linked to the general protests on the first anniversary death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network had said earlier that female inmates on Saturday held protests at the Qarchak prison on the anniversary of Amini's death.

Prison guards on Saturday put out a fire started by female inmates in a prison ward near the capital Tehran, Iran's official IRNA news agency. It said female convicts on death row protesting the prison management set fire to the women's ward at the Qarchak jail by burning their clothes.

It was unclear if the incident was linked to the general protests on the first anniversary death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network had said earlier that female inmates on Saturday held protests at the Qarchak prison on the anniversary of Amini's death. It said special forces entered the ward, beat up the women and fired pellet bullets at some of the protesters. (dubai.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com)