Iranian Kurdish Political Prisoner 'Killed Under Torture'

Kurdish human rights organizations say a political prisoner from Piranshahr in Iran’s West Azarbaijan province has been killed after being tortured while in detention.

Hengaw and Kurdistan Human Rights Network reported on Sunday that intelligence organizations refused to hand over the body of Mousa Esmaili to his family to hold a funeral ceremony.

According to these reports, after 62 days of detention, officials of the Urmia intelligence department called Ismaili's family and "without any explanation" asked them to come and receive the body of their son, but they refused to hand over the body later.

Esmaili, 35, from the village of Pasavi, was arrested on May 7 while the agents confiscated his car as well.

According to Hengaw, a source close to Ismaili's family said, "without any explanation or providing evidence of any judicial process and trial the security officers only said that Mousa was executed.”

Based on the report, Ismaili has not appeared in any court, and it is not even clear what were the charges against him. His family also insists that he was killed under duress.

The security and intelligence have also threatened the family that talking about the issue and publicizing it will have serious consequences for them.

Hengaw added that Esmaili had no contact with his family since his arrest, and during this time, the family's follow-ups with police and courts remained unanswered.

Iranian intelligence and security agencies often bring unsubstantiated charges against dissidents, who are then tried behind closed doors without a lawyer. Several have died in unclear circumstances and torture.