Uncertain Status of Bukani Protester 10 Months After Arrest; Osman Mama 'Likely' Died Under Torture

Some human rights sources have reported the enforced disappearance of Osman Mama, a Kurdish citizen residing in Bukani, for the past 10 months and the likelihood of his death under torture. According to the Iran Human Rights Organization, Osman Mama, 55, was arrested by government agents on November 18 during last year's nationwide protests after being injured by a pellet gun. The report states that he has had no contact with his family since his arrest, and government and judicial authorities have refrained from providing any information about the status of this detained citizen, leading his family to conclude that he was killed under torture. Previously, the Hengaw Human Rights Organization identified the Intelligence Ministry and the Revolutionary Guards' Intelligence as responsible for this Kurdish citizen's case. According to Hengaw, Osman Mama was working in a poultry farm in the city of Dukhan in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The Iran Human Rights Organization reported that government agencies have prevented the family of this protester from informing the public about his enforced disappearance through threats. The complete lack of information about Osman Mama's status comes as his wife was also hit by 55 pellet gun shots during the protests and has yet to undergo surgery. Human rights organizations have repeatedly stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran systematically and extensively employs enforced disappearances and torture against critics and protesters. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom emphasized in its recent report that the Islamic Republic resorts to enforced disappearances and killings to suppress protesters or deprives them of contact with their relatives. Amnesty International also reported in April of this year on the intensification of discrimination and violence against women, sexual, religious, and ethnic minorities in Iran, stating that the Islamic Republic continues to carry out enforced disappearances and torture in an organized and extensive manner. Saeed Zinali, who was arrested by security agents in his home during the 1999 student protests at Tehran University, is considered one of the longest-standing cases of enforced disappearance, with government agencies having refrained from providing information about him for the past 24 years. Hossein Ahmadinejad: The United Nations must compel the Islamic Republic to stop the enforced disappearance of protesters. The American religious freedom organization has called for the Islamic Republic's case to be referred to the International Criminal Court. The anniversary of the disappearance of 11 Baha'i citizens; 43 years of ignorance and the potential for 'hasty execution.' Hengaw: The ignorance of the families of four Kurdish political prisoners about their status continues. The fortieth anniversary of the execution of 10 Baha'i women in Shiraz; 'The virus of oppression and discrimination' is widespread.