Mehran Akrami, a Kurdish athlete from Takab in Iran’s West Azerbaijan province died under torture, according to two human rights organizations.
The Iran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM) and Hengaw Organization for Human Rights said Akrami, 32, was arrested in Saqqez in Kurdistan province for supporting the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom protests and had been in custody ever since.
A source close to Akrami’s family said they had received a call from the Saqqez Intelligence Department that their son had died and were asked to retrieve his body. Upon arriving at Saqqez Central Prison, they were directed to the Imam Khomeini Hospital where Mehran’s father was required to sign a document agreeing to a year-long autopsy in order to receive his body, according to Hengaw.
The human rights organization said it had received information that Akrami died from kidney failure after suffering severe beatings.
Iran HRM said a source close to the Akrami family who had seen Mehran’s body informed them he had seen “severe injuries” and “bleeding from the mouth, nose and ear areas” as well as a “fracture in the back of his head.”
Akrami was a taekwondo athlete who had won several provincial and national titles, according to Iran HRM.
Hengaw said 12 Kurds have died under torture after being arrested in the Women Life Freedom protest movement that was sparked from the death of Zhina (Mahsa) Amini in police custody in 2022.
