More than seven months after the violent arrest of citizens in the case known as “Qaleh Chanan,” reports received by the Karoon Human Rights Organization indicate severe physical torture inflicted on Hamid Hosseinian and his continued absolute deprivation of visitation rights. The family of this political prisoner has reported threats to his life in Sheiban Prison, Ahwaz.
“It seems they intend to kill me too,”
One family member, in an exclusive interview with the Karoon Human Rights Organization, described the painful and uncertain situation of the family: “We don’t know if they killed my brother Mahmoud or where they took him; they didn’t even give us his body so we could at least visit his grave. We have been deprived of seeing Hamid; he is even banned from contacting us.”
This family member expressed deep concern for Hamid Hosseinian’s health and life, referring to his only brief contact: “The only time he spoke to us, he said, ‘I am alive so far, but it seems they intend to kill me too; they beat me a lot.’”
Increased Pressure and Torture for Forced Confessions
Hamid Hosseinian, a 42-year-old political prisoner, is married and a father of two. He was arrested during a violent raid by Iranian security forces on March 9 in the Qaleh Chanan area of Ahwaz; during this operation, his brother, Mahmoud Hosseinian (Nasseri), was shot dead by security agents, and the security agencies have deprived the family of their right to mourn and hold a funeral by holding his body hostage.
Reliable information indicates that after months of being held in solitary confinement at the Intelligence Department detention center and being transferred to Sheiban Prison in Ahwaz, Hamid Hosseinian continues to face crushing pressure from interrogators. Informed sources emphasize that the security agencies’ prevention of family visits is aimed not only at inflicting additional psychological torture on his wife and two children but also at concealing the signs of brutal torture on his body and facilitating the extraction of fabricated confessions.
Position of the Karoon Human Rights Organization
The explicit statements from this prisoner, asserting that “they intend to kill me,” raise serious alarms regarding the safety of detainees in the Qaleh Chanan case. The case of Hamid Hosseinian and other defendants in this security scenario is currently being processed in the Second Branch of the Public and Revolutionary Court of Karoon, while none of the defendants have access to a chosen lawyer or a fair trial.
The Karoon Human Rights Organization considers the ongoing denial of visitation rights, torture, and inhumane treatment of Hamid Hosseinian to be a gross violation of human rights. This organization urgently warns of the imminent danger to this imprisoned father’s life and calls for the immediate cessation of torture, access to medical care and an independent lawyer for him, the return of Mahmoud Hosseinian’s body to the family, and the unconditional release of all detainees in this case.
