Iran replaces prisons chief after Evin incident

Iran's judiciary has replaced the country's prisons chief after reports of violence against political prisoners during a routine inspection in Evin Prison, media reports said on Wednesday. But Gholam Hossein Ismaili -- who has denied any wrongdoing in the events that unfolded on April 17 -- has been appointed to a senior post as the head of the justice department in the capital. According to opposition websites, several inmates at the notorious Section 350 of Evin, located in northern Tehran, were beaten and hurt after scuffles broke out at a cell block, with some taken to hospital. Iranian officials dismiss the accounts as inaccurate, claiming that it was the prisoners who resisted an inspection and started a fight with the guards. Judiciary spokesman and prosecutor general Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei on Wednesday said Ismaili's reassignment "had nothing to with what happened in Section 350", the ISNA news agency reported. He said the decision was taken "40 to 50 days ago, based on merit". The development came after Ismaili appeared on a state television Tuesday night, strongly denying misconduct among security personnel and saying that the event had been blown out of proportion by foreign media for propaganda purposes. On Tuesday morning, dozens of family members of the prisoners staged a protest near the presidency compound in central Tehran, demanding a response from President Hassan Rouhani on the reports of mistreatment. Rouhani is a self-declared moderate who promised greater accountability from government after taking office in August. Amnesty International has expressed concern about the Evin incident, reporting that 100 prison guards dressed in riot gear entered Section 350, purportedly to conduct a search. Source: AFP