UN probe says Israeli strike on Tehran’s Evin prison a war crime, warns of rising repression

The head of a UN investigation said on Monday there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that an Israeli air strike on a prison in Iran last year amounted to a war crime, while warning that the current wave of US-Israeli bombings could trigger further domestic repression.

More than 70 people were killed when Israel struck Evin Prison in Tehran last June during an air war with Iran, according to Iranian authorities. The facility—known for housing political detainees—has also reportedly been damaged in the latest US-Israeli air strikes, raising concerns for prisoners, including a British couple held there.

“We found reasonable grounds to believe that, in carrying out the airstrikes on Evin prison, Israel committed the war crime of intentionally directing attacks against a civilian object,” said Sara Hossain, chair of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Hossain said the strike killed around 80 people, including one child and eight women. Her latest report—based on interviews with victims and witnesses, satellite imagery and other documentation—was presented to the council on Monday.

Israel, which has disengaged from the council that investigates alleged human rights abuses, left its seat empty during the session. There was no immediate response to requests for comment from the Israeli prime minister’s office, foreign ministry or military.

Hossain also condemned the rising number of civilian deaths in Iran and warned that the ongoing bombing campaign could prompt Iranian authorities to intensify crackdowns on dissent. She pointed to a surge in executions following last year’s strikes.

“The core lesson drawn from our investigations in this context is clear: external military action does not provide accountability or bring meaningful change. Instead, it risks intensifying domestic repression,” she said.

Mai Sato also raised concerns about detainees, including people arrested during mass protests earlier this year. Families have reportedly been unable to contact relatives, while food and medicine supplies in prisons are becoming increasingly scarce, she said.

Iran’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, called for international condemnation of the US-Israeli strikes, which he said had killed more than 1,300 people in Iran.