Calls for Investigation into the Death of Shahrokh Zamani in Prison

The death of Shahrokh Zamani, a imprisoned labor activist, in Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj has prompted reactions from various labor organizations in Iran, which are demanding investigations into the cause or causes of his death. Amnesty International and the International Confederation of Trade Unions have also made such requests. Shahrokh Zamani passed away on Sunday due to a "stroke" in Rajai Shahr prison. He was a board member of the Committee to Pursue the Establishment of Independent Labor Organizations and a member of the board for the reopening of the Painters' Union. This labor activist was arrested on June 8, 2011, in Tabriz and sentenced to 11 years in prison on security charges. One of his charges was attempting to establish labor organizations, including the Painters' Union. The Kaleme website, close to Mir Hossein Mousavi, described the death of this imprisoned labor activist as "sudden." In this context, according to the Teacher and Labor Rights website, Mr. Zamani's friends attempted to wake him on Sunday afternoon, only to find his body cold and bruised. According to this report, Shahrokh Zamani was quickly transferred to the infirmary, but the infirmary doctor announced that he had died of a heart attack. Heshmatollah Tabarzadi, a political activist in Tehran who was once a cellmate of Shahrokh Zamani, told Radio Farda that "Shahrokh's physical condition was very good. He always exercised during breaks and had no physical problems." Meanwhile, the Workers' Rights Defense Association, referring to the conditions of prisons in Iran, demanded clarification of the true cause of his death and the unconditional release of all political prisoners, as well as changes in prison conditions for all inmates. The Committee to Support Shahrokh Zamani also stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the death of this labor activist, urging all labor organizations to pressure the Iranian government for an autopsy of his body under the supervision of representatives from international labor organizations. The Coordination Committee for the Help to Establish Labor Organizations also called for the formation of an independent medical investigation team to examine and determine the true cause of Shahrokh Zamani's sudden, strange, and unexpected death. The International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran also placed full responsibility for Shahrokh Zamani's death on the Iranian government and emphasized the need for an independent medical and international investigation into his passing. The Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company referred to what it called the "appalling and very unsuitable general conditions of Iranian prisons," stating that the blood price of the incredible death of the late Shahrokh Zamani rests with those responsible for prisoners' rights. This labor organization also demanded punishment for those responsible and respect for the rights of Shahrokh Zamani's family and survivors. Additionally, Mahdi Kouhestani Nejad, an advisor to the International Confederation of Trade Unions and a member of the Canadian Labour Congress, noted the reaction to Shahrokh Zamani's death among labor unions in various countries, stating that "the International Confederation of Trade Unions demands an investigation into Shahrokh Zamani's death and it must be determined what the cause of his death was." Bahareh Davis, the Iran desk officer at Amnesty International in London, also recalled the deaths of several political prisoners in Rajai Shahr prison in past years, stating that "Amnesty International urges Iranian authorities to immediately conduct a complete, transparent, independent, and impartial investigation into the conditions and causes of Shahrokh Zamani's death." Ms. Davis added that "Shahrokh Zamani's death in prison reflects an unjust judicial system that punishes individuals solely for their peaceful activities with penalties such as imprisonment, primarily in prisons with very deplorable conditions." The Iran desk officer at Amnesty International also stated that "although the death of prisoners in prison is not a rare phenomenon and may occur for natural reasons, there is always the possibility that death is due to torture, other abuses, or poor prison conditions, including deprivation of adequate medical care." Shahrokh Zamani, in 2012, published a letter to all unions and human rights organizations, speaking of the physical and psychological torture he endured during his detention and interrogation. This labor activist, during Nowruz 2013, in an audio message regarding his arrest and the issuance of an 11-year prison sentence for himself, stated: "I was arrested illegally by the Intelligence Department in Tabriz without an arrest warrant and without any charges. I was subjected to torture and threats of death in prison. In protest against this treatment, I went on a hunger strike for 40 days." He mentioned that he was sentenced to 11 years in prison at the behest of the interrogator. This labor activist had called on all human rights organizations, including Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran, and Navi Pillay, the then head of the UN Human Rights Council, as well as responsible domestic agencies, to work to end this pattern of civil and citizen rights violations and to free all civil, social, and labor activists. Shahrokh Zamani also held the authorities responsible for any physical, mental, or fatal consequences for himself. Previously, reports had also emerged regarding the health conditions of several labor activists during their detention or while in prison. The latest of these reports refers to the condition of Mahmoud Salehi, a member of the Coordination Committee for the Help to Establish Labor Organizations. Mr. Salehi lost his only healthy kidney after being arrested by intelligence agents due to lack of medical care and not receiving his medications, and now he undergoes dialysis twice a week. Heshmatollah Tabarzadi also described the medical care for prisoners in Rajai Shahr prison as very deplorable, adding: "In recent years, several people have died in Hall 12, which is where political prisoners are held." He specifically mentioned the deaths of Mansour Radpour and Afshin Asanloo, stating: "Hall 12 is a closed area with no access to fresh air." Mr. Tabarzadi noted that the operation of anti-satellite waves negatively impacts the health of prisoners in Rajai Shahr prison, believing that the conditions of ordinary prisoners in this prison are also unsuitable, and several of them have died due to poor prison conditions.