Iran security chief denies political dimensions in doctor's murder

Dr. Abdolreza Soudbakhsh - Commander Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam

Iran’s Chief of Security Forces, Commander Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam announced that the recent murder of a physician in Tehran is in no way connected with the Kahrizak Detention Centre.

ISNA reports that Commander Ahmadi Moghaddam stressed that Doctor Abdolreza Soudbakhsh had no political background and there are no indications that his murder is linked to political matters. He added that the police is still investigating his murder.

A number of opposition media have issued reports connecting the murder of Dr. Soudbakhsh, who was murdered last week on the streets of Tehran, with the crimes of Kahrizak detention centre.

Last summer, a number of post-election detainees were taken to Kahrizak Detention Centre where they were severely tortured and at least three of them were killed as a result of the abuse.

The detention centre was closed down once the news leaked out but the officials have taken great pains to cover up the crimes.

The opposition websites add that Dr. Soudbakhsh was consulted in the cases of a number of detainees who had developed infection in the course of torture and the security officials had ordered him to announce that all the prisoners were infected with meningitis.

The report contends that Dr. Soudbakhsh was aware of the files of the detainees who had been killed in Kahrizak and he had examined all the detainees in Kahrizak and Evin Prison who had been sexually assaulted in prison.

According to this reports, the said physician was in possession of very specific information in regard to the torture and abuse of detainees and had been under growing pressure from security forces of late.

The report even claims that Dr. Soudbakhsh was killed one day before he had made arrangements to travel abroad.

Doctor Abdolreza Soudbakhsh member of Tehran University medical faculty was shot and killed by two individuals on a motorbike as he left his office last Tuesday.

A day later, Doctor Gholamreza Sarabi, a cardiologist, was shot in front of his office and pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

Some refer to these incidents as “serial killing of physicians” but security officials deny any pattern in these killings