A political prisoner from northern Iran died in custody one week after his arrest, with witnesses reporting visible bruising and signs of beating on his body.
Farzad Khosh Boresh, 31, from Neka in Mazandaran province, died on Tuesday at the Intelligence Detention Center in northern Sari.
Officials at the Intelligence Office in Sari said Khosh Boresh’s health deteriorated in detention and that he died after being transferred to a hospital, according to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.
Witnesses reported clear signs of bruising and blunt-force trauma on his body, the rights group said.
Intelligence agents transferred the body to the Forensic Medicine Organization, but have refused to release the results.
Officers also filmed and photographed people at the cemetery, warning them against reporting any information about the case.
Khosh Boresh was arrested on November 12 in Sari. He had previously been detained in August for “posting and sharing political criticism on social media” and was released on bail.
Deaths in custody and allegations of torture have been documented by human rights groups in Iran for years.