DUBAI, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Order has been restored at a prison in southwest Iran, the state news agency IRNA reported on Friday, after prisoners reportedly started a fire to protest against a fellow inmate's death sentence and shots were heard.
"The prison situation was briefly unsettled after a number of prisoners provoked clashes, but calm was restored immediately after the presence of prison officers and the facility returned to normal," IRNA reported, citing the state prisons administration.
Iran, which carries out the world's highest number of executions after China, has often faced criticism by rights groups.
Iran blames the high number of executions on heavy drug trafficking through the country from neighbouring Afghanistan, the world's main opium producer.
Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Chris Reese and Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
IRNA, Mehr, Chris Reese, Cynthia Osterman
Organizations:
Amnesty, Dubai, Thomson
Locations:
DUBAI, Iran, Ramhormoz, Khuzestan province, China, Afghanistan, Tehran