Motahari Calls for Investigation into 'Suicides' of Prisoners in Iranian Prisons

Following reports of the deaths of two more individuals amid protests in various cities in Iran, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament has called for an investigation into the deaths of those who are "reported to have committed suicide during recent events in the country's prisons." According to ISNA news agency, Ali Motahari announced on Sunday, January 21, that the Tehran prosecutor has agreed to allow members of Parliament to visit Evin Prison, and "this visit should logically take place next week." Mr. Motahari stated that the case of the "suicide" of Sina Ghanbari is among the issues that will be examined during the visit to Evin Prison. He suggested that visits to prisons across Iran should be conducted and that investigations should be carried out regarding all individuals who are "reported to have committed suicide during recent events in the country's prisons, to eliminate propaganda and doubts." Previously, more than 40 members of Parliament had 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 recent protests in prisons. So far, there has been no news regarding Mr. Larijani's response to this request or the formation of this independent group. Meanwhile, Ali Nobakht, the head of the Health Commission of Parliament, announced on Sunday in an interview with ILNA news agency that he has invited the head of the Legal Medicine Organization to explain reports regarding the suicides of some prisoners in one of the sessions of this commission. Additionally, 155 lawyers have sent a letter to the head of the judiciary stating that the lack of accurate statistics on detainees and victims has "caused psychological unrest and concern among the people." Apart from the 25 individuals who, according to Iranian television and official sources, were killed during recent protests and demonstrations, names of other individuals including Sina Ghanbari, Vahid Heydari, Shahab Abtahi Zadeh, and Mohsen Adeli have been published, who reportedly lost their lives, including in prisons, but judicial officials have denied any connection between the detention of these individuals and the recent protests. Judicial and police officials have stated that Sina Ghanbari and Vahid Heydari "committed suicide," and Shahab Abtahi Zadeh was "addicted" and his death had no connection to the protests. Nevertheless, Mohammad Najafi, a lawyer, had denied the statements of police officials in Central Province regarding the death of Vahid Heydari. A few days after these statements, he was arrested on January 15 in front of his home. Following this, reports were also published regarding the killing of Saro Ghahramani in Sanandaj, but Islamic Republic officials denied these reports. The governor of Sanandaj also stated that Saro Ghahramani was "affiliated with terrorist groups," a claim that has been rejected by Mr. Ghahramani's relatives. Islamic Republic officials use the term "terrorist groups" to refer to their armed opposition groups. Meanwhile, the Human Rights Campaign in Iran reported that Kianoush Zandi, 24 years old, was killed in Sanandaj along with Saro Ghahramani, and on Saturday, January 13, his body was buried in "a pre-prepared grave." According to this report, Kianoush Zandi's family told the Human Rights Campaign in Iran that agents of the Ministry of Intelligence visited Kianoush Zandi's home and "took his mother to bury the body in a grave that had been prepared in advance and buried him." The Human Rights Campaign in Iran stated that Kianoush Zandi, along with Saro Ghahramani, was in a vehicle in front of the Sanandaj terminal when their vehicle was "shot at by military agents, and it is still unclear whether Kianoush Zandi was killed by the gunfire of the agents or was wounded, arrested, and died in a hospital or detention center." According to this report, Kianoush Zandi "was neither a political individual nor had any membership or support for any Kurdish parties." The website reported that Atollah Zandi, Kianoush Zandi's father, has been in prison for years, and the Sanandaj intelligence has "pressured his mother and uncle to not speak to any media and to state that the cause of Kianoush Zandi's death was a car accident." Islamic Republic officials have not responded to this report. Meanwhile, journalist Eisa Saharkhiz tweeted that Maryam (Forouzan) Jafarpoor was arrested during recent protests and subsequently died. This journalist, while publishing a photo of Ms. Jafarpoor, quoted her father as saying that this 27-year-old engineer was "arrested" and "her corpse was handed over to the family after an autopsy." Iranian officials have not yet responded to this news. The "No to Inflation" protests began on December 28 in Mashhad and several other cities, but as the protests continued, demonstrators shouted political slogans against the leader and officials of the Islamic Republic in addition to economic slogans. Subsequently, protests and demonstrations were held in more than 100 cities in Iran. According to Mohammad Sadighi, a member of Parliament from Tehran, 3,700 individuals were arrested during these protests. Meanwhile, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, announced on Sunday that the report of this ministry regarding the recent protests has been submitted to Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran. According to Mr. Rahmani Fazli, this report includes "identifying and introducing the roots and backgrounds of these unrests," along with suggestions to prevent such protests from occurring. He did not provide further explanation on these matters. Hassan Rouhani had asked the Minister of Interior on January 10 to prepare a report on the recent protests.