Human rights groups demand probe into Iranian physician's death

Three human rights organizations have written to Iranian authorities to express their concern regarding the “suspicious” death of Ramin Pourandarjani, the physician who allegedly examined some of the victims of torture in Iran’s infamous Kahrizak detention centre.

Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders and the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran urge Iran to allow for an independent investigation into the young physician’s death.

Ramin Pourandarjani was a 28-year-old doctor serving his obligatory military service. As a physician for the Security Forces, he visited Kahrizak Detention Centre once a week. Over three weeks ago, his body was discovered in the medical building of the Security Forces in Tehran.

The letter addressed to the Islamic Parliament and Tehran Prosecutor General states: “Due to the extraordinary nature of Doctor Pourandarjani’s death, it is essential that all the investigations is carried out in complete transparency and trusted independent experts are called in to ensure the authenticity of the probe.”

Iranian officials first claimed Pourandarjani had died from “heart failure during sleep.” Later Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam, Chief of police claimed he had “committed suicide” because he was under investigation regarding the Kahrizak events and was under threat of arrest by the authorities.

According to many websites, Ramin Pourandarjani had examined many victims of alleged torture in Kahrizak. Mohsen Ruholamini, son of a prominent Islamic Republic official, is reportedly one of the detainees he examined there. Death of Ruholamini was one of the chief triggers in the eventual closure of the centre in the post-election events of Iran.