Iran: Two Kurdish political prisoners passed away in one 24-hour period after being subjected to severe torture while in detention, according to reports from human rights organisations.
Hengaw, a Norway-based Kurdish human rights NGO, reported the death under torture of Peyman Galwani, a 24-year-old Kurdish prisoner from Mahabad on Monday, 14 days after his arrest.
Galwani was reportedly moved from the Urmia Intelligence Agency’s detention centre to Khomeini Hospital on 5 July while unconscious. The security forces allegedly informed Galwani’s family that he had suffered a fall from a height, resulting in his comatose state.
During his hospitalisation, Galwani was closely monitored by two security officers who restricted access to his family. Only his sister was granted a single visit, during which she observed significant bruising on his head, body and face.
His family firmly believes that torture by the security forces led to his untimely death, as Galwani had no pre-existing medical conditions and was in good health prior to his arrest.
Kurdish human rights watchdogs also reported the death on Saturday of Mousa Esmaili, a political prisoner from Piranshahr in Iran’s West Azarbaijan province.
The Iranian intelligence department contacted Esmaili’s family and instructed them to collect his body from their security facility on 8 July, providing no further details.
When the parents visited the facility, they were informed of their son’s death. Both Hengaw and Kurdistan Human Rights Network confirmed that intelligence agencies then refused to release Esmaili’s body to his family for funeral rites.
The 35-year-old prisoner was detained on 7 May without an arrest warrant. Esmaili had been denied contact with his family since his arrest, and their attempts to engage with various security and legal institutions proved futile. He died 62 days after his arrest.
The Esmaili family has been threatened by regional security agencies that any media attention regarding this matter would have dire consequences for them.
