Human Rights Groups Call for UN Probe into Iran Prisoner’s Death

Amid growing concerns and public outcry following the suspicious death of protester Javad Rouhi in prison, human rights organizations are mobilizing to demand an international probe into the death.  

Both the Iranian Human Rights Organization and Human Rights Watch have issued urgent calls for an international investigation into the circumstances surrounding Rouhi's death, demanding United Nations intervention.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of the Iranian Human Rights Organization, issued a statement insisting that Rouhi's death must be investigated as a potential extrajudicial killing within the prison system.

"Javad Rouhi’s death must be investigated as an extrajudicial killing in prison by the UN Fact-Finding Mission. Ali Khamenei and all individuals and organisations involved in his arrest, torture and detention are responsible for his death and must be held accountable," he said. 

The Iranian Human Rights Organization also citied a pattern of suspicious deaths and forced disappearances within Iran's detention facilities, dating to before Rouhi’s case. 

These accounts include individuals such as Saeed Zeinali, Zahra Kazemi, Waliullah Faiz Mahdavi, Zahra Baniyaqoob, Ebrahim Lotfollahi, Kavous Seyed Emami, Vahid Heydari, Sina Ghanbari, Saro Garhami, Behnam Mahjoubi, and Sasan Niknafas.

Human Rights Watch, in a statement published on August 31, highlighted the extensive history of "torture and ill-treatment" perpetrated by Iranian prison officials. 

“The Iranian prison authorities’ egregious record of torture and mistreatment makes Javad Rouhi’s death in custody more than a little suspicious,” said Tara Sepehri Far, senior Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch. “An international inquiry is needed since there’s no reason to believe Iranian authorities will carry out a transparent investigation.”

“The United Nations Fact-Finding mission should investigate all torture and deaths in custody related to the protests in Iran,” Sepehri Far said. “Sadly, the case of Javad Rouhi is just the latest one.”

Rouhi was accused of "waging war against God," "spreading corruption on earth" and "apostasy" and had received three separate death sentences. But Iran’s Supreme Court intervened in June, overturned all three death sentences and subsequently referred the case to another court for reevaluation.

Despite the Sari Revolutionary Court's awareness of his deteriorating condition, they made a controversial decision to deny Rouhi any release on bail. 

Amnesty International has said Rouhi was subjected to severe beatings and "floggings, including on the soles of his feet and while being tied to a pole, given electric shocks with tasers, exposed to freezing temperatures, and sexually assaulted by having ice put on his testicles for 48 hours."

"Revolutionary Guards agents repeatedly pointed a gun to Javad Rouhi's head and threatened to shoot him if he did not make forced confessions," according to Amnesty.