Ghafar Akbari dies due to torture at Malekan Intelligence Detention Center
Hengaw: Sunday, November 17, 2024
Ghafar Akbari, a Turkish man from Malekan County in East Azerbaijan Province, died after severe torture inflicted by officers at the Malekan Intelligence Detention Center. Security forces have pressured his family not to publicize the news and threatened them against sharing details about the case.
According to reports received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Ghafar Akbari, a father of four from the village of Yoonqonlooy Jadid in Malekan, has died after enduring three weeks of severe torture at the hands of officers from Malekan’s Intelligence Department. Akbari, who had been arrested on charges of “premeditated murder,” passed away on Saturday, November 16, 2024, while receiving treatment at Sina Hospital in Maragheh.
A source close to Akbari’s family stated that Ghafar Akbari endured brutal torture on the first day of his arrest, Tuesday, October 29, 2024, at the Malekan Intelligence Detention Center. The source reported that Akbari was bound in wet clothes for 48 hours without food or water, repeatedly suspended, and subjected to extreme abuse, including the forcible removal of his toenails.
The source further told Hengaw: "Despite his deteriorating condition, last week Akbari was transferred to solitary confinement in Maragheh Central Prison. Dr. Reza Saadatian Varjavi, the prison’s medical doctor, repeatedly warned of the life-threatening nature of his injuries and advocated for his transfer to an external medical facility. However, the investigating judge, Akbar Salmanpour, opposed the transfer until it was too late. Akbari was finally moved to Sina Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries two days later.
During his three weeks of detention, Akbari was denied family visitation, contact, medication, and medical care.
His body has been sent to the forensic office in Tabriz for an autopsy but has not been returned to his family. Security forces continue to threaten the family, warning them against disclosing information about his death.
Reports indicate that Malekan Prosecutor Morteza Olyanasab and Judge Akbar Salmanpour played key roles in the extended detention and torture of Akbari.
Akbari leaves behind three sons, aged 4, 10, and 18, and a young daughter.
