100 transgender inmates presumed dead after Israeli missiles struck Iranian prison last month

Around 100 transgender inmates are missing and presumed dead after Israel bombed an infamous prison in Iran.

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Israel's missile strikes against Evin Prison in Tehran on June 23 — the deadliest in the 12-day war between the countries — killed 79 people and injured dozens more, according to the latest estimates via The New York Times. Among the dead are family members who were visiting prisoners, social workers, a lawyer, doctors and nurses, teenage soldiers serving mandatory military service, administrative staff, local residents, and a 5-year-old child.

About 100 trans inmates were being held in a section of the prison that was completely destroyed. Authorities have declared them missing, presumed dead.

Iran is the one nation that is known to actively enforce the death penalty for same-sex sexual relations. The Islamic Penal Code of Iran, 2013, articles 233-41 punishes liwat (sodomy); tafkhiz (thigh sex); and musaheqeh (lesbian intercourse), while also levying up to 100 lashes for other sexual acts.

Conversely, the existence of trans people is legally supported in Iran despite gender dysphoria being classified as a mental disorder. The nation offers individuals small grants to obtain gender-affirming surgery, and allows those who have undergone the operations to legally change their gender.

While "personal and societal judgement against transgender people in Iran is — as in many countries — persistant and pervasive, the broader idea of being transgender is not considered a violation of Iranian theocratic principles," according to the American Iranian Council.

However, trans people are subjected to an arduous and invasive process to qualify for the surgeries, which includes obtaining multiple court orders through medical examinations, as outlined by OutRight International. Those who can't — or do not wish to — receive surgery can face arrest for dressing in clothing that is not associated with their legal gender.

Transgender Iranians report experiencing pervasive discrimination, often facing rejection from their families, physical and sexual violence, and suicidal behaviors. Over 92 percent of trans women in Iran have faced verbal or emotional harassment, according to a 2022 survey from Health Care for Women International, and over 70 percent had faced physical violence. Many turn to sex work to get by.

Evin Prison has a long and documented history of human rights abuses. It is the primary detention site for political prisoners, journalists, and human rights activists, with detainees reporting being subjected to torture such as beatings, electric shocks, mock executions, and sexual abuse.

Narges Mohammadi, who was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran, has spent the majority of the past two decades in and out of Evin Prison. Currently out on furlough, Mohammadi released a joint statement with other human rights activists condemning Israel's strikes as purposeful killings of civilians, which is a war crime.

"Wars bring devastation and grave human rights violations," the group wrote. "The Israeli attack on Evin Prison — carried out in broad daylight, in front of families and visitors — is clearly a war crime."

Mohammadi's group also criticized Iranian authorities for their human rights abuses and lack of transparency in the aftermath of the strikes, saying that "many families have no information about where their loved ones are being held" and inmates "have been transferred to other prisons around Tehran, often in harsh and inhumane conditions."

"We, the undersigned, express our deep concern about the unjust and inhumane situation of political and ideological prisoners," they wrote. "We demand an immediate halt to executions, an end to the security crackdown, and the unconditional release of all political and ideological prisoners."