Death of Amir Shahbazi in Urmia Prison Following Suicide Attempt

Hengaw: Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Amir Shahbazi, a 37-year-old prisoner from Urmia, previously sentenced to finger amputation by the judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has died by suicide in the central prison of Urmia. Today, all phone lines in both the women's and men's wards of Urmia prison have been disconnected.

According to a report obtained by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, in the early hours of Wednesday, January 17, 2024, Amir Shahbazi took his own life in a solitary cell at Urmia central prison by ingesting pills, succumbing to the delay in being transferred to medical facilities.

An informed source revealed that Urmia prison officials had ordered Amir Shahbazi's transfer to solitary confinement yesterday, citing the "discovery of a mobile phone." The prisoner had warned of ending his life if placed in solitary confinement.

Amir Shahbazi, detained seven years ago (since 2016), had been sentenced by Urmia Criminal Court to the amputation of four fingers on his right hand for the charge of "theft."

Hengaw has learned that all telephone lines in both the male and female wards of Urmia Central Prison have been severed.