Iranian President Orders Investigation Of Prisoner's Death For Torture, 5 Police Arrested

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered an investigation into the death of a defendant in detention in the northern city of Lahijan.

"After the tragic incident in Lahijan, the president ordered the interior minister to form a committee to investigate all aspects of this incident and report the results to the cabinet as soon as possible," government community relations chief Elias Hazrati told Reuters on Thursday, August 29.

Five police officers were arrested in connection with the case, according to the Mizan court news agency, which did not reveal the names of the victims, the charges he faced, or the date of his death.

"After the violation of citizens' rights, the necessary follow-up was carried out and the defendant related to the case was imprisoned based on a temporary arrest warrant," said Lahijan prosecutor Ebrahim Ansari.

Ansari said forensic pathologists carried out a follow-up to determine the cause of death of the defendant.

Iran's human rights activist group Hengaw reported an organization identified as 36-year-old Mohammad Mirmousavi, was arrested on August 24 and tortured to death on the same day.

Hengaw said this was the seventh case of death in detention since the beginning of the year. Reuters was unable to verify these allegations.