A young man named Seyed Mohammad Mir-Mousavi, from the village of Seyed-Mahalleh in the Rudbeneh district of Lāhijān, northern Iran, was reportedly tortured to death by Iran’s State Security Forces (SSF) on Saturday, August 24, 2024, following his arrest during an altercation.
According to reports, Mir-Mousavi was detained by the Special Unit of the SSF. While in custody at a police station in Langarud, he was subjected to severe torture, which ultimately led to his death later that same day. Witnesses described the visible signs of torture on his body as shocking.
Video footage circulated on social media shows the young man’s battered and bloodied body, highlighting the extreme violence he endured. An individual involved in preparing the body for burial revealed that the security forces had inflicted deep puncture wounds on his back and spine during the torture. Another person presents in the video stated that Mir-Mousavi had been bound by hand and foot while being beaten and tortured by the officers.
Following this death, security agencies, particularly the Langarud Prosecutor’s Office in Gilan Province, reportedly pressured Mir-Mousavi’s family not to disclose any details about his death. The prosecutor of Lāhijān, in a statement on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, referred to the incident as the “suspicious death of a detainee” without revealing Mir-Mousavi’s identity. The prosecutor announced the appointment of a special investigator to look into the matter and the arrest of five police officers connected to the case.
This case has sparked outrage among human rights activists and the public, highlighting the ongoing issue of institutionalized violence and impunity within Iran’s Security forces. Despite official statements and arrests, the handling of this case has raised concerns about transparency and accountability in the investigation of state violence.
