Contradictory Statements About the Cause of Jawad Rouhi's Death; Family 'Committed' Before Body Handed Over

The Iran Human Rights Organization states that officials of the Islamic Republic obtained a 'commitment' from Jawad Rouhi's family before handing over his body, and their statements regarding the cause of death of this political prisoner are contradictory. On Saturday, September 2, the organization cited an informed source saying that while the cause of Jawad Rouhi's death was listed as 'cardiac arrest' on the forensic report, officials from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) verbally announced the cause of death as 'stroke.' Meanwhile, Mizan, a media outlet affiliated with the judiciary, previously stated that Jawad Rouhi had 'seized' in prison. Concurrently, Saleh Nikbakht, a well-known lawyer, emphasized that this incident has also occurred for some of his clients, stating that he is following Jawad Rouhi's case 'from afar,' but since the lawyer of this political prisoner who died in prison is not present, he cannot 'enter the details of the case.' According to Ham-Mihan newspaper, Nikbakht added, 'I do not want to say that a specific person, whether real or legal, is responsible for these untimely deaths,' but 'based on the laws,' despite the initial sentence of 'three death penalties' being overturned by the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic, 'Jawad's temporary detention should have been converted to a lighter measure.' Jawad Rouhi's body was buried overnight in the village of Kalikan, Amol, in the presence of Islamic Republic agents. Jawad Rouhi, a protester from Amol who was arrested in connection with the protests in the second half of 1401 in Nowshahr and sentenced to three death penalties, died early Thursday after being transferred from prison to the hospital. The Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, claimed that Jawad Rouhi was transferred to Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Nowshahr 'due to seizures' and 'passed away,' but opponents and many social media users say he was killed in Nowshahr prison. Among them, Mehrzad Zarei, whose son Arad was one of the 176 passengers killed in the IRGC's missile strike on the Ukrainian passenger plane, tweeted: 'They killed Jawad Rouhi; 1333 days ago, they killed Arad. We all stand together to overthrow the criminal Islamic regime.' Arash Sadeghi, a human rights activist, pointed out that the three death penalty ruling for Jawad Rouhi was violated, emphasizing that after '100 days,' judicial authorities had not sent his case to a 'parallel branch for re-examination,' and 'the pressure of the death sentence, 100 days of waiting,' and 'indecision created a gradual death for him.' Reema Shir Mohammad, a Twitter user, also emphasized that 'if this is not a deliberate murder, then what can it be called?' She wrote: 'The three death penalty ruling for Jawad Rouhi was overturned in the court, and according to the laws of the Islamic Republic, he could have been transferred outside of prison with bail for his treatment. However, he was kept in prison under conditions where he had also been hospitalized six months ago due to mental health issues. This means he was deliberately denied treatment both in prison and outside.' Pegah Bani Hashemi, a lawyer, stated in an interview with VOA that the judiciary's admission that Jawad Rouhi had seizures means his imprisonment was unlawful. Hamidreza Taghipour also told VOA's Persian section that Jawad Rouhi was killed due to physical and psychological torture in prison. Amnesty International called for an 'investigation and inquiry' and for 'independent investigations' into the cause of death of this political prisoner. The Iran Human Rights Organization also demanded an 'independent investigation' into the cause of Jawad Rouhi's death by the 'UN fact-finding committee,' with its director, Mahmoud Amiri Moghaddam, stating that the death of this political prisoner 'should be investigated as an extrajudicial death' by this committee. A lawyer and a human rights activist told VOA that Jawad Rouhi's death in the Islamic Republic's prison is a state-sponsored and premeditated murder. A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department also expressed horror at Jawad Rouhi's death and reports of his torture, stating that his death is the latest example of the Islamic Republic's efforts to 'create fear' among the people of Iran and 'suppress any dissent.'