Iran has confirmed the death of at least one person, Sina Ghanbari, believed to have been arrested during a crackdown on recent anti-government protests. Officials claimed that the young man committed suicide in Evin prison.
His death is being investigated, Tehran Public Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi confirmed on Tuesday, IRNA reported.
Amnesty International noted that there have been at least two other deaths reported in the same section of Evin prison where Ghanbari was being held. Their identities are not currently known, the rights monitor stated.
Two more deaths have also been reported in custody elsewhere in the country, Amnesty stated. Vahid Heydari reportedly died in Arak, Markazi province and Mohsen Adeli died in Dezfoul, Khuzestan province.
Activists and family members are disputing claims from officials that the detainees committed suicide in detention.
“The shroud of secrecy and lack of transparency over what happened to these detainees is alarming,” said Magdalena Mughrabi, Amnesty’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa.
“We have long documented the nightmarish conditions in detention facilities in Iran, including the use of torture,” Mughrabi stated, urging an independent investigation into the deaths.
In addition, hundreds of families have stated that they are unable to find out about the situation of their detained members.
At least 1,000 people have been detained in sweeping arrests after anti-government protests broke out in the country in late December.
Family members and civil rights activists have been gathering outside Evin prison, seeking information about those detained, the Center for Human Rights in Iran reported.
According to officials, the majority of those arrested, more than 90 percent, are under the age of 25 and do not have a previous history of arrest.
Iranian authorities have accused the US and Israel of hijacking legitimate protests in order to destabilize the country. Judicial officials have said that those who were under foreign influence should be dealt with differently.
Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani said some of those arrested were deceived and did not play major roles in the protests, IRNA news reported. Others, however, instigated violence and attacked public property in a way that cannot be justified, he stated.
A number of reformist parliamentarians like Mahmud Sadeghi have warned officials against a new wave of mistreatment of detainees similar to what occurred during the crackdown on protests in 2009.
