About mass arrests during Iranian largest protests in nearly a decade regarding at least three demonstrators died in a notorious Tehran jail, have raised concerns among Human rights activists.
At least 21 people died after violent clashes between protesters and security guards during more than a week of demonstrations. Most of those killed were protesters and some were security guards, according to officials. More than 1,000 people, including at least 90 students, were arrested.
Two members of the Iranian parliament close to the reformist camp confirmed on Monday that one detainee, Sina Ghanbari, had died in Evin prison.
Separately, Nasrin Sotoudeh, a prominent human rights lawyer, told from Tehran that at least two other protesters had died in the jail. They have not yet been identified.
Sotoudeh was particularly worried about the use of unofficial detention centres. During the protests of 2009 that followed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election as president, one such detention centre, Kahrizak, drew nationwide attention after it emerged that a number of protesters had been sexually assaulted, tortured and killed in custody.
Mahnaz Afshar, a high-profile Iranian actor, tweeted: “There is no excuse for the death of a 23-year-old held in Evin.”
Nassim Papayianni, an Amnesty International researcher on Iran, said its investigations showed “time and time again just how inhumane prison conditions are in Iran, with overcrowding, poor ventilation and the ever-present threat of torture.
“We’re also concerned that the Iranian authorities are denying the family members of those arrested information about the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones. The authorities must end this wall of silence and provide family members information on those detained.”
>Juthy Saha
