Iran’s protests spread, as a notorious prison burns

was worst for those trapped in solitary cells the size of tables. The fire began in a basement sewing workshop and spread through Evin prison, crammed with protesters detained in the . Guards fired tear-gas and bullets into the smoke to force back those trying to escape. They shot at prisoners who had climbed onto the roof to breathe—and to chant against their jailers. Beyond Evin’s walls, echoed their cries and honked their car horns.No Iranian prison is as notorious as Evin. For 50 years it has been the holding pen, interrogation centre and gallows of the state’s political prisoners. It lies at the base of the Alborz mountains, casting a shadow over the capital below. The fire billowing inside it lit up the city and evoked the torching of the Rex Cinema, back in the summer of 1978, when the death of more than 470 people as a result of an arson attack triggered the Islamic revolution that overthrew the shah.