The plan to transfer Evin Prison management to the municipality, and transform the premises into a park was reviewed by judiciary chief, Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, according to Tehran Mayor Mohammad Qalibaf.
Nevertheless, Larijani had expressed concern over shifting the prison due to financial and infrastructural problems. “The judiciary chief told me that he has instructed a search for space to relocate the prison, although he said the matter has not been forwarded to experts yet,” Qalibaf said, reports Mehr News Agency. The plan was presented to the judiciary two months ago.
The prison complex is planned to be relocated to a place outside the municipality jurisdiction. “We can reach an agreement whereby the Tehran Municipality assumes part of the cost and we turn the Evin complex into a park,” he was quoted as saying.
The transformation of Evin prison into a public park is on the agenda, but no consensus has been reached on whether the prison will become a green area or a cultural center, Khabaronline reports.
Ali Asqar Jahangir, chief of States Prisons Organization said the judiciary chief seeks to take “the most appropriate measures regarding the future of Evin Prison.”
The prison, covering 43 hectares (106 acres) is in the posh northern part of the city.
Qalibaf cited the example of Qasr Prison, a much older facility that was closed in 2008 and turned into a museum as a precedent.
He said negotiations were continuing on the future of Evin, but the aim is to increase the capital’s leisure areas.
