Suspicious Death of Former Honorary Police Member in Abdanan After Threats; Officials: 'Heart Attack'

Following reports of the 'suspicious death' of Mansoureh Sagvand, a law student in Abdanan who claimed to have been an honorary member of the police and stated she was threatened with death after resigning, Islamic Republic officials denied her membership and attributed her death to 'cardiac arrest.' According to posts and images shared on an Instagram account attributed to Mansoureh Sagvand, this student from Lorestan had collaborated with the police in Khorramabad as an honorary officer but had resigned after the crackdown on protests. Mohammad Baqer Ahmadi Chagni, the governor of Khorramabad, stated on Tuesday, June 5, that Mansoureh Sagvand 'was not a member of the police force' while also acknowledging that she 'had briefly collaborated as a police assistant.' Seyed Noor Ali Moradi, the head of the pre-hospital emergency services at Ilam University of Medical Sciences, confirmed that Mansoureh Sagvand 'passed away on Sunday evening,' but declared the cause of death as 'cardiac and respiratory arrest.' According to the emergency services of Abdanan and the Hazrat Rasul Akram (PBUH) Hospital in the city, the Lorestan student died due to cardiac arrest. The emergency services of Rasul Akram Hospital in Abdanan reported that 'the patient had no vital signs.' Officials did not reference the death threats that Ms. Sagvand had mentioned. This statement from officials comes as Mansoureh Sagvand had recently stated on her Instagram page that she had been threatened with death. She wrote: 'They scare us with death, as if we are alive... Forever and a day, my life is dedicated to my homeland. Long live Iran.' According to the human rights organization Hengaw, Mansoureh Sagvand had written in a letter to a friend before her death that 'I am currently hiding, but sooner or later they will find me. If something happens to me, I want everyone to know that I did not commit suicide.' She had also previously stated that she was an honorary police officer and had 'witnessed crimes' before resigning from this governmental body. She emphasized that 'oppression is not sustainable' and 'this revolution will happen sooner than you think.' This law student also announced that she would represent Prince Reza Pahlavi to transition from the 'dictatorial and child-killing regime.' Simultaneously with Voria Ghafouri's farewell from football, she wrote: 'Honor and humanity will always remain. Let us live in a way that our names do not become dust with our bodies.' She also supported the nationwide protests by sharing images at the graves of several killed protesters. In recent days, Kamyar Mohin-Sa, an Iranian-Canadian police officer, told the Persian section of Voice of America based on his communications with police officers in Iran that there is significant defection and civil disobedience within the police force. The death of Mansoureh Sagvand is not the first case of suspicious deaths of protesters in recent months, with multiple suspicious deaths reported that officials attributed to 'suicide,' 'falling from heights,' 'fear,' 'cardiac arrest,' 'underlying health issues,' and 'drug use.'