Iranian Kurdish Activist was Reportedly Killed in Custody

The Committee on the Rights of the Detained (for 2017-2018 protests) published a report on the death of Saro Qahremani, 24, which indicates that security forces delivered the young man's corpse to his family on Saturday, January 13.

The committee, which follows the situation of those who detained in the recent protests in Iran, indicates: “The Martyr’s parents were driven to a cemetery in Sanandaj in an ambulance carrying Saro Qahremani’s body without other family members having the permission to be present at the funeral.”

According to the committee, Saro Qahremani, 24, son of Mohammad, was once arrested before -at the age of 18- for his political activities, and he spent a year and a half in prison.

One of Saro’s family members who didn’t want to reveal their name, told Iran Human Rights (IHR) today: “The Qahremani family is under pressure, and they have threatened us not to give the exact information to the media. Otherwise, the other family members will have the same fate as Saro’s.”

On Saturday, January 13, One of Saro’s relatives told BBC-Persian that his body was delivered to his family by the Ministry of Intelligence of Sanandaj in the morning. The source quoted Saro’s mother that Saro had bruises on his body. It was also mentioned that the security forces threatened Mr Qahremani not to interview with media.

Yesterday, a video was published in which a man claiming to be Mohammad Qahremani, Saro’s father, says in Kurdish that his son was killed in an armed conflict.

Moreover, according to IRNA, Sanandaj Governor refuted the death of a detainee from the recent protests in Sanandaj and said: “The person that all channels and media are talking about, was a member of a terrorist group who was killed in an armed conflict with the police along with one of his accomplices.”

Mohammad Ibrahim Zare’I continued, “He has threatened a citizen in a car lot on December 25, and the victim reported the incident to the police.”

Nonetheless, Ehsan Soltani, one of Qahremani’s relatives, asserted that the statement of Sanandaj Governor was “sketchy” and “unbelievable”.

He says that contrary to Sanandaj Governor’s claim that Saro had been wanted by the police since December 25, “this citizen visited his house and stayed there at nights and his relatives met him several times until January 3.”

Soltani asked: “How can a wanted person visit his house and how can his family not be informed about him being wanted? How come they didn’t arrest him before January 3 at his house?”

He added: “If Saro was killed in an armed conflict, why there are no bullet holes in his body? Why won’t they let the forensics determine the cause of death?”

According to him “there has been no mention of the exact time of the shooting and Saro Qahremani’s death”. “If January 3 was the last time Saro was home and then he went missing and killed in a conflict, why was his family informed about his death after 11 days?

Ehsan Soltani also tweeted that he believed Saro’s father’s statements were made under pressure.

It should be noted that at least two of the detainees from the recent protests in Iran died before the death of Saro Qahremani was reported. 

Iran human rights (IHR) organization once again calls for an independent fact-finding mission.