Kahrizak doctor feared his own death

Dr Ramin Pourandarjani was a doctor at the notorious Kahrizak detention centre and was found dead last week at a medical centre affiliated with the Iranian Police. Pourandarjani had treated many inmates at the Kahrizak detention before it was closed down as a result of a direct order by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

One of the inmates visited by Dr Pourandarjani was Mohsen Rouholamini who later died in prison as a result of torture. The death of Mohsen Rouolamini who was the son of a well-known conservative politician with ties even to the leader, brought the spotlight onto the issue of abuse of detainees in Iranian prisons.

According to a new report by Norooz News the official website of a reformist Iranian party, the mother of Ramin Pourandarjani had approached the father of Mohsen Rouholamini prior to her son’s death and stated that “my son’s life is in danger for revealing the truth about the torture and death of your son.” In response, Mr Rouholamini had told Ramin’s mother: “what do you want me to do?” “You are dealing with people who are accused in the case, not me.”

Also, mowjcamp has learned that one day before his tragic death Dr Pourandarjani actually went to the Iranian Parliament asking for assistance regarding his concerns and met with Dr Sadr the Head of the Health & Treatment Commission in the Iranian Parliament. However Dr Sadr declined to even listen to the young doctor’s desperate request.

It appears that the policy of the Judiciary and the Police Force is to treat Dr Pourandarjani’s death passively and to deny any knowledge of the crimes committed at Kahrizak prison and prevent further flow if information regarding this mysterious death.

After carrying out an investigation into the matter, Norooz News pointed the finger of blame towards Iran's Chief of Police, his Deputy and Saeid Mortazavi Tehran’s Prosecutor General who were all also directly involved with the abuse at Kahrizak Prison but none of the officials have until now reacted to the accusations against them.

The controversy surrounding Dr Pourandarjani’s death and the resulting pressure on the Iranian Police led its Chief on Wednesday to state that Pourandarjani had actually committed suicide as a result of depression, in an attempt to remove some of the pressure on the Iranian Police Force.

It is very difficult to take such claims seriously as Dr Pouandarjani had actually told a friend during a telephone call that he was going to the North-western city of Tabriz last Tuesday.

In addition Pourandarjani had received admission from a German university and was planning to go to that country for continuing his studies which makes the suicide theory sound all the more questionable.

Previously and via a detailed report, mowjcamp had raised a number of questions regarding the suspicious death of Dr Pourandarjani and had posed these questions to Ali Larijani the speaker of the Iranian Parliament and a special parliamentary committee in charge of investigating allegations of abuses following the rigged presidential election in June:

Why and due to the interference of what authorities was there a long delay in making the parliamentary report public and how is this linked with the suspicious death of Dr Pourandarjani?
Why was Dr Pourandarjani not offered protection even though he was present and had testified at the National Security Council and the special parliamentary committee and had also expressed concerns regarding his safety? Why was it allowed for him to continue with his service in the Police Force which was already a prime suspect in the cases of prisoner abuse?
Why were the pre-burial rituals (washing and dressing the body in shroud) done in Tehran, even though Pourandarjani’s family reside in Tabriz where he was finally buried?
Why was the family not allowed to perform an autopsy on the body which was their unquestionable right as the relatives of the deceased?
Why was the funeral held under such a heavy security presence and extraordinary circumstances to the point where even his closest friends could not find the courage to take part in Pourandarjani’s funeral?
What is the link between individuals such as the Chief of Iran’s Police Forices (Ahmadi), his deputy (Radan) and the former Prosecutor General Saeid Mortazavi with Dr Pourandarjani’s death? Norooz News has reported that Radan had personally threatened the young doctor and ordered to remain silent about what he knew.
Aren’t the mysterious similarities in style between the political killings of earlier years and the cardiac arrest of a 26 year old doctor alarming enough?
Following the post-election unrest after the rigged Presidential election in June, Dr Pourandarjani, 26, was serving his mandatory military service at Kahrizak as a resident physician.