ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Two activists charged with taking part in Iran’s widespread protests have reportedly been tortured to death in prison, according to local reports.
Saro Ghahremani, a Kurd, 24, died in Sanandaj prison in Iranian Kurdistan and Ali Poladi, approximately 26, died in Chalus prison in northern Iran. Both were reportedly tortured to death after they were arrested by police for allegedly taking part in anti-government protests.
Ghahremani’s mother said there were signs of beating on her son’s body, according to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network. He was buried on Saturday “under strong security measures” with only his parents allowed to attend, the France-based rights group stated.
According to Saro's mother, there have been signs of beatings on his body but officers of the Intelligence Bureau have threatened the family of this victim not to release any information in this regard. #SarooGhahremani #IranProtests #Sanandaj pic.twitter.com/413WIMuIQs
— KurdistanHumanRights (@KurdistanHRN) January 13, 2018
Amnesty International last week urged an investigation into the deaths of as many as five protesters in Iranian jails.
At least 1,000 people have been detained in sweeping arrests after anti-government protests broke out in the country in late December.
Iranian authorities have accused the US and Israel of hijacking legitimate protests in order to destabilize the country. Judicial officials have said that those who were under foreign influence should be dealt with differently.
Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani, who was sanctioned by the US on Friday for alleged human rights violations, said earlier this month that some of those arrested were deceived and did not play major roles in the protests. Others, however, instigated violence and attacked public property in a way that cannot be justified, he added.
A number of reformist parliamentarians have warned officials against a new wave of mistreatment of detainees similar to what occurred during the crackdown on protests in 2009.
