40 Members of Parliament Call for Investigation into Deaths of Detainees

Mahmoud Sadeghi, a representative from Tehran, announced that over 40 members of the legislative body sent a letter to Ali Larijani, the Speaker of Parliament, requesting the formation of an independent group to investigate the causes of death of several detainees from the recent protests in prisons. Mr. Sadeghi shared a picture of this letter on Twitter but did not mention the names of other signatories. The letter refers to the fact that 'relevant officials' have declared the cause of death of Sina Ghanbari and Vahid Heydari as 'suicide', but it states that 'some relatives and eyewitnesses cast doubt on this claim'. Iranian officials confirmed the deaths of Sina Ghanbari in quarantine at Evin Prison and Vahid Heydari in a detention center in Arak, stating that they 'committed suicide'. Mohsen Adeli, another citizen, is reported to have died in Dezful Prison. Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, also stated on Saturday, January 13, that 'three detainees' from the recent protests 'lost their lives in Iranian prisons' and that parliament members are 'following up on the matter'. Mr. Motahari also mentioned that in a report regarding the deaths of these three individuals, the cause of death was labeled as 'suicide'. The news of the 'suicides' of the detainees comes as the Human Rights Campaign in Iran reported, citing relatives of Vahid Heydari, that upon viewing the corpse, signs of beating and bruising were observed on his head. In Mahmoud Sadeghi's tweet, he stated that the signing representatives wrote to Ali Larijani that unconfirmed reports indicate the deaths of more detainees. These parliament members, in their letter to Ali Larijani, called for identifying possible culprits and reporting the matter to Parliament. The release of this letter by Mahmoud Sadeghi came after reports indicated that the body of Saro Ghahramani, another detained protester from recent demonstrations, was handed over to his family. In this regard, the Committee for Following Up on the 96 Detentions reported on Saturday, January 13, that the body of 24-year-old Saro Ghahramani was handed over by 'security forces to his father and mother'. According to this committee, Saro Ghahramani's body was buried only in the presence of 'his parents and without the presence of other family members in Behesht Mohammadiyeh, Sanandaj'. No official from the Islamic Republic has yet provided an explanation regarding the circumstances of this Sanandaji citizen's death. Previously, Mahmoud Sadeghi, another member of Parliament, had warned on his Twitter account about the repetition of 'Kahrizak II', referring to the killing of several protesters in the Kahrizak detention center in Tehran in 2009. Amnesty International has also called for 'immediate investigations' into reports of several 'suicides' in Iranian prisons following the arrests of protesters in Iran. According to official sources of the Islamic Republic, approximately 3,700 individuals were detained during the protests in January 2018.