Cartoon 82: Cocktail Party at Evin

Justifying the April 17 raid on political prisoners at Evin Prison’s Ward 350,  Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the Spokesperson for the Iranian Judiciary and the country’s Prosecutor General claimed on April 28 that the reason for the raid was that, “some individuals tried to make alcoholic drinks with their fruit rations.” Earlier, the Head of Iran’s Prisons Organizations, Gholam-Hossein Esmaeeli had said that the raid was a routine check which had led to the discovery of cellular phones and other illicit equipment. Family members of political prisoners have called these allegations “shameless” and “an ugly lie.” Two weeks after the raid by security agents that left many prisoners badly injured, President Hassan Rouhani has maintained silence amidst a public outcry for investigations into the incident.