IRGC torture death justified under pretext of foreign threat: Kurdish man Fouad Alikhani killed in Kermanshah

Hengaw – Saturday, June 28, 2025

Amid escalating repression following the Iran-Israel war and subsequent ceasefire, Fouad Alikhani, a Kurdish resident of Mahidasht in Kermanshah (Kermashan) Province, died as a result of severe torture inflicted by agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). His family has been threatened against speaking publicly about his death.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Fouad Alikhani, 41, from the village of Darkeh in the Mahidasht district, was killed as a result of brutal torture on Monday, June 23, 2025, while in IRGC custody. Alikhani had previously been detained during the Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (Woman, Life, Freedom) movement.

A source close to the family stated that on Sunday, June 22, Alikhani was stopped at the Azadegan checkpoint while returning from Kermanshah to Mahidasht. He was arrested after refusing to hand over his mobile phone to IRGC forces.

The same source reported that Alikhani’s body bore signs of extensive bruising and that several of his ribs had been broken.

Approximately 24 hours later, on the evening of Monday, June 23, the IRGC informed the family that his body was being held at Taleghani Hospital in Kermanshah. His remains were transferred to the forensic medicine department on Tuesday and buried on Wednesday.

Hengaw has learned that Alikhani’s family and relatives have received threats warning them not to speak to the media. Under pressure, the official forensic report listed his cause of death as cardiac arrest.

It is worth noting that Fouad Alikhani had previously been arrested during the Jin, Jiyan, Azadi protests and was released after one month in detention.