Tehran [Iran], September 15: The infamous Evin prison in Tehran is to be converted into a university building, the Iranian government said on Saturday.
"By converting a prison into an academic centre, we would send a good signal and a conciliatory message to the world community," said Vice President Mohammed-Reza Aref, according to the ISNA news agency.
The prison, which has been notorious for decades as the site of serious human rights violations against political dissidents, is to become part of the medical faculty of the nearby Shahid Beheshti University.
Reformers in Iran have been campaigning for the prison to be shuttered for years, but hardliners in the country's parliament and judiciary have blocked the move. The project is now to be carried out under the leadership of the moderate new President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Source: Qatar Tribune