Kurdish political prisoner Qader Rasoulpour dies mysteriously in Mahabad Prison hours before release

Hengaw – Sunday, July 20, 2025

Qader Rasoulpour, a Kurdish political prisoner, died under suspicious circumstances at Mahabad Central Prison on the day his six-month prison sentence was due to end. Over two separate periods, he had spent nearly nine years in Iranian prisons for his political activities.

According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Rasoulpour, 53, from Mahabad, died shortly before his scheduled release on Friday, July 18, 2025, under unclear and concerning circumstances.

A source familiar with the case stated that following several hours of unexplained delay in his release, Rasoulpour’s family contacted the prison. They were told he had "suffered a seizure while showering" and died in the prison’s bathroom.

His family and relatives have firmly rejected this account, stressing that he had no known medical conditions. During a family visit two days earlier, Rasoulpour had told them he would be released soon. His body has been transferred to the Forensic Medicine Department in Urmia for further examination.

Rasoulpour was a member of the Komala Party from 1984 to 1990. Shortly after ending his affiliation with the party, he was sentenced to eight years in prison, which he served in full.

He was most recently arrested on February 8, 2025, during a raid by security forces on his home in the Posht-Tappeh neighborhood of Mahabad. He was later sentenced to six months in prison on charges of “propaganda against the state.”