Hosseini Ronaghi says he was subjected to 'sexual abuse' by officers during his arrest

Hosseini Ronaghi, a political activist who sewed his lips shut in protest against security forces preventing the holding of a funeral for Kianoush Sanjari, a former political prisoner, reported being subjected to 'sexual abuse' by special forces officers during his arrest. After the suicide of Siavash Sanjari, a former colleague of the Persian section of the Voice of America, who had returned to Iran in recent years and ended his life in protest against the continued detention of political activists, Ronaghi appeared in front of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, was detained for several hours, and then released. He wrote on X about his arrest by special forces officers: 'As a well-known 40-year-old activist, I was sexually abused and verbally assaulted by the special forces of the police.' He described the behavior of the special forces officers as akin to that of 'thugs and assailants,' stating that during his arrest and before being handed over to 'camera-bearing' officers, they threatened him with rape and hurled vulgar sexual insults at his mother and sister. Ronaghi elaborated on the behavior of these officers and the words they used, adding: 'This is part of the behavior of police officers towards citizens, which I now want to call them “a group of thugs and assailants.” These are the same people who claim to be law enforcers and protectors of the country while harassing women for improper hijab.' He also mentioned that on Wednesday, November 30, he would go alone to place flowers at the site of Kianoush Sanjari's suicide, asserting that 'bringing flowers is not a crime, nor is protesting, nor mourning for a noble Iranian.' His condition on the fourth day of sewing his lips was described as follows: 'My lips are swollen and injured, physical weakness has intensified. Due to the blows from those three thugs in the special forces vehicle, my body is bruised, and I have been having nosebleeds for two days.' Kianoush Sanjari's suicide has sparked widespread reactions both inside and outside the country, which continue to this day. Amnesty International issued a statement saying that 'years of interrogation, unjust detention, torture, and exile' tormented Kianoush Sanjari, and his oppressors 'remained unpunished.' Hosseini Ronaghi is among the few political activists who, prior to Sanjari's suicide, visited the journalist's home along with Aliyeh Matlabi, a women's rights activist and former political prisoner, to dissuade him from taking this action. If you are thinking about suicide, please contact social emergency services at 123 or counseling centers.