Iran Kills More Protesters Under Torture Across the Country

The Iranian regime is counting arbitrary murders and killing people arrested during the recent nationwide protests across Iran. Each passing day reveals further deaths in custody, Track Persia reports.

Ali Pouladi, 26, was arrested in a village near Chalous, northwest of Iran and transferred to a detention center. The next morning authorities said he had passed away and even insulted his mother as she sought her son’s whereabouts. They did not provide any information regarding the cause of Ali’s death. His family said Ali had no illness and was in good health at the time of arrest.

Earlier Sanandaj intelligence informed the mother of a young protester, Saru Ghahremani, 24, who disappeared 10 days ago, that his body is at a morgue. Evidence strongly suggested that Sarou Ghahremani was tortured to death by intelligence agents. His mother said she saw extensive bruises all over Sarou’s body.

In another development family of Kianoush Zandi, a protester murdered by Iranian intel during recent protests was informed they can’t go public about his death. They did not even deliver Kianoush’s body to his family. A ceremony was held on January 14, 2018, for him. Reports show others like Kianoush, Sarou and Ali were also killed by Iran’s intelligence and the IRGC, but there is still no information on the number of deaths.

Earlier, the news of the deaths of several young people arrested during the nationwide protests in the regime’s prisons, was published including Sina Ghanbari (23) in Evin Prison, Mohammad Heydari (22) in Arak Prison, Mohsen Adeli (26) in Dezful Prison.

Iran’s rulers have inflicted death by torture and gunfire on citizen protesters in a crackdown since the Dec. 28 street uprising erupted, the main opposition group said Tuesday. The Europe-based National Council of Resistance of Iran says the Islamic republic’s ubiquitous security apparatus has arrested more than 8,000 citizens and killed at least 50, all while the West has remained mostly silent. The council attributes at least five deaths to torture.

“As the head of the judiciary for the past nine years, Larijani is a key official in the regime’s suppressive apparatus, who has played a direct role in the execution of thousands of people, in the crackdown and arrest of dissidents, as well as in censorship and repression,” said Shahin Gobadi, a council spokesman based in Paris.

The council identified one deceased protester as Kianoush Zandi, a graduate of the University of Sanandaj in the city west of Tehran near the Iraq border. He disappeared on January 4. His body was returned to the family Sunday by Sanandaj intelligence.

“The intelligence henchmen told the martyr’s family that he was killed in the demonstrations,” the council said. “But the signs of torture on the body of Kianoush exposes the regime’s intelligence henchmen.”

The council said the family and citizens of Sanandaj commemorated Zandi at the Farajeh-Shahr mosque, defying threats from security forces. The body of another youth, Mohammed Nassiri, was returned to his family with a statement that he had committed suicide.

Meanwhile, the protestors are not the only victim of arrests and torture by the regime. The head of the Hormozgān Public Security Police announced the arrest of 21 underground singers including nine women and the closure of six unauthorized studios on January 11, 2018, in the town of Bandar Abbas, according to the state-run ISNA news agency.

“Agents monitored cyberspace and social networks and identified a number of people with pseudonyms who carried out underground singing activities,” Ali Asghar Ebadi-Nik said. “During two separate operations, 21 unauthorized underground singers, including nine women were arrested,” he added.

In another development, the state-run Fars news agency reported on January 7, 2018, that six people who were active in modeling were arrested by the Khorasan Razavi Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Investigations indicated that the heads of this modeling gang carried out their activities in Mashhad and published it on the internet. Agents succeeded in identifying six of the main heads of this gang and arrested them in a surprise attack.