An Iranian Family Rocked by Death and Incarceration of two Brothers

By Sina Ghanbarpour 

The Bahramian family from the city of Semirom, in the central Iranian province of Isfahan, has faced increasing pressure from security agencies for months.

One of its members, Morad, was killed by security forces during protests in the city in mid-November.

His brother Fazel has not been officially charged since he was taken into custody on January 1, and his family has since been unable to see him.

Based on the information obtained by IranWire, government institutions are threatening the family to link the man to the alleged death of a member of the paramilitary Basij force for the sole purpose of exerting pressure on the Bahramians, a respected family in Semirom. 

Everything Started on November 16

The Bahramians’ ordeal started on November 16, when Semirom was hit by angry protests against the Islamic Republic.

Morad, a truck driver, had just arrived in the city when he noticed his teenage son among the demonstrators. He was shot dead at around 6 p.m. as he tried to prevent special forces which had been deployed to suppress the protesters from reaching his son and his classmates.

As tensions escalated in Semirom over the deaths of Morad and several other people, the security forces handed over Morad's body to his family on November 18 for burial.

Meanwhile, security agents started to exert intense pressure on Morad’s relatives in a bid to force them to cooperate. The family was not granted access to the CCTV footage of the alleged killing, and the camera's owner was detained.

40 days later

Semirom was rocked by clashes between demonstrators and security forces on December 22, which marked the 40th day since the death of Morad and protesters.

Demonstrators gathered at their graves. Officers tore down photos of the dead that had been placed throughout the city, fueling people's anger.

The clashes continued until December 31, with gunfire being heard throughout the city. On that day, a Basij member named Mohsen Rezaei was allegedly shot dead.

The following morning, security forces stormed the Bahramian family's home and took Fazel and his brothers Jafar and Ahmad into custody. Their sisters who opposed the arrests were  beaten with batons.

Pressure Intensifies

Fazel is an expert mechanic and member of the Semirom Dispute Resolution Council. 

His father, a farmer, is also a respected member of the Semirom community. He has been under pressure from the security agencies since the day Morad was killed and has been kept in the dark about his son's condition in prison.

Fazel's calls from prison were cut off abruptly, causing further distress to the family.

Although Ahmad and Jafar were released a month after their arrest, Fazel was remanded in solitary confinement until March.

He was then transferred to a general prison, where the authorities prevented his father from visiting him. The father's attempts to get information about his son's condition were met with threats from security agencies.

Fazel was not present at the scene where the alleged killing of the Basiji occurred. The family maintains that none of its members was outside their home during clashes in the city, and none of them possesses any weapon. 

The family is constantly under psychological pressure to remain silent, with the government threatening Fazel with the death penalty.

Months after the alleged killing, the kind of bullet used on the Basij member remains unknown.