Amnesty International has called for a special session of the UN Human Rights Council over crimes against the Iranian people by the government and religious authorities.

In a tweet on Sunday, Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard said, “The international community must call for a special session of the UN Human Rights Council to create a UN investigative and accountability mechanism on Iran government and religious authorities' far too many crimes against the Iranian people.”

She made the call in reaction to a large fire in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison Saturday evening as gunshots and blasts were heard, with hundreds of political prisoners among the inmates.

“This must be terrifying. Let's recall that the authorities have the legal obligation to respect and protect the lives and well-being of all the prisoners,” Callamard said. 

At least four people have been killed during the fire and shooting in Evin Prison Saturday night, sources told Iran International. Prisoners confirmed that they have seen the dead bodies of the four fellow inmates wrapped in body bags at the prison’s medical area.

The Center for Human Rights in Iran said that it received reports of a “gun battle” in Evin prison Saturday night that was continuing at 22:00 local time (14:30 Washington DC time and 19:30 London time).

The human rights monitoring group said that gunshots were first heard in Ward 7 of the prison, housing inmates convicted for financial crimes, and then the confrontation spread to other parts of the prison.