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Recent reports have emerged about the torture and death of Komeyl Abolhassani, a political prisoner, in a detention center in Tonekabon, Iran. Despite initial denials by government officials, it has now become evident that the news of his death is accurate. The regime’s fear of public backlash has prompted it to portray Abolhassani as an ordinary criminal rather than a political prisoner.
The religious dictatorship, beset by numerous internal and international crises, has ramped up social repression and executions to unprecedented levels, driven by fear of another revolution and the presence of a fragmented government. When news of such atrocities reaches the public, the regime typically follows a pattern: first denying the reports, then launching propaganda campaigns, claiming arrests and actions against law enforcement, and secretly pressuring the victims’ families to prevent social upheaval.
Komeyl Abolhassani was one of the brave protesters of the 2022 uprising who was arrested on September 21, 2022, for setting fire to a police stand. He spent three months in prison and, after his release, was continuously summoned for forced confessions. During this time, the intelligence agents subjected him to severe pressure, beatings, and intimidation.
Navid Afkari’s letter describing the horrific physical and psychological torture he went through and authorities demanding he confesses to crimes he had not committed. pic.twitter.com/tzPIhm62Fx
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) September 12, 2020
After news of Abolhassani’s death in detention spread, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attempted to deflect blame by claiming he was arrested on charges of possessing synthetic drugs and that he died from an overdose. However, social media reports indicate that Abolhassani was detained by security forces on Thursday, August 29, and died in a Tonekabon detention center on Friday, August 30, under unclear circumstances.
Abolhassani was buried on Saturday, August 31, in his hometown of Tosakoti village, Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. Witnesses reported that state agents did not allow his family to view his body before the burial. Abolhassani, a tinsmith by profession, became a tragic symbol of the regime’s brutal tactics against dissent.
In recent days, multiple cases of killings and violence against young people have sparked widespread public outrage in Iran. Mohammad Mirmosavi, a 36-year-old resident of Seyed Mahalleh village in Rudboneh, Lahijan, was one of the latest victims of torture by the Iranian regime’s security forces. Mirmosavi was arrested by special unit agents of the county’s law enforcement during a local altercation and died in custody after being tortured and shot.
Ahmadreza Radan, the head of the regime’s State Security Forces and a key figure in human rights violations in Iran, called for a “special investigation” into Mirmosavi’s death. Radan’s record includes overseeing the arrest of opponents of compulsory hijab, the torture of protesters in Tehran’s Kahrizak prison, and the suppression of the 2009 protests, among other human rights abuses. Since Radan’s reinstatement, numerous citizens have died each month in detention centers due to torture, random shootings, or reckless police chases of vehicles and motorcycles.
#Iran News in Brief
A 25-year young died while in custody at a police station in #Tehran. Family suspects torture as the cause of death. https://t.co/OCeui7lrLn pic.twitter.com/vb9iTrLiYn
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) April 13, 2022
Victims such as Anahita Amirpour, Negar Karimian, Mehrdad Malek, Soha E’tebari, Kian Pirfalak, Asef Mombeyni, and Sepehr Esmaili have also been killed by police shootings in civilian cars. In many cases, citizens have suffered serious injuries from these actions by military forces, including the police. Most recently, on the night of August 1, 31-year-old Arezoo Badri was seriously injured after being shot by police for not wearing a hijab while in her car. This incident is another example of the severe and deadly violence perpetrated by the regime’s military forces to enforce compulsory hijab on women. Despite numerous reports, judicial inquiries often yield no results, with authorities failing to identify the culprits or take any action against responsible officials. The government also refuses to accept any responsibility for these deaths.
The torture of citizens continues, despite Article 38 of the regime’s Constitution, which explicitly prohibits torture for extracting confessions or obtaining information. The regime has consistently refused to join the “United Nations Convention against Torture,” citing this constitutional provision while continuing its practice of widespread human rights abuses.
The tragic deaths of Komeyl Abolhassani and Mohammad Mirmosavi serve as stark reminders of the ongoing human rights crisis in Iran, as well as the regime’s efforts to suppress dissent and silence those who dare to speak out against injustice.