Farhad Moghaddam dies under torture in state custody killing

Hengaw – Monday, September 29, 2025

Farhad Moghaddam, 28, from Baharestan in Tehran Province, died late last month after being tortured in the Shapour Investigation Department in Tehran and at the Greater Tehran Penitentiary. Iranian authorities have so far blocked the release of the official forensic report.

According to information obtained by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Moghaddam, a resident of Salehiyeh in Baharestan, died of a brain hemorrhage caused by multiple blows to the head during detention.

A source close to his family reported that at around 11 p.m. on Friday, September 12, 2025, shortly after his transfer to the Great Tehran Penitentiary, Moghaddam fell into a coma from head injuries and later died.

The source added that agents of the Shapour Investigation Department, which has a long record of killing and abusing detainees, arrested him in late August and severely beat him. After being transferred to the penitentiary, he was further tortured by a prison guard.

Moghaddam’s body was buried on September 15, 2025, in his hometown. Authorities’ refusal to release the forensic report has left it unclear whether he sustained the fatal injuries under torture at the Shapour Investigation Department or in prison.