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NEDA AGHA SOLTAN MURDER WITNESS AT RISK OF TORTURE IN
TEHRAN PRISON
4 September 2009
Caspian Makan, the fiancé of Neda Agha Soltan, a young
woman killed in the recent protests in Iran, has been held in
detention since 26 June, after he made a statement linking her
murder to the pro-government Basij militia.
Currently held in Evin Pnson in Tehran, Caspian Makan is Neda Agha Soltan was shot dead
reported to have told his family that if he signs a “confession” in Tehran on 20 June 2009, during
saying that the People's Mojahedeen Organization of Iran a protest following Iran's disputed
presidential elections
(PMOI), a political body banned in Iran since 1981, killed her, © APGraphicsBank
then he may be released.
Amnesty International said it fears he may be forced to sign such a “confession” under torture or other
ill-treatment, given the pattern of human rights violations in Iran following the election. The organization
said that he may be a prisoner of conscience, held for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of
expression.
Neda Agha Soltan, 27, was killed on 20 June in Tehran. She was shot as she and three companions,
including Caspian Makan, were leaving one of many demonstrations that took place following Iran's
disputed presidential election on 12 June. VVhiIe other demonstrators were trying to help her, a man
with a mobile phone camera filmed her dying moments. The video footage was widely circulated on
the internet and became a symbol of the unrest that developed in Iran.
In an interview with BBC Persian TV on 22 June, Caspian Makan said that “Eyewitnesses and video
footage [ ...] clearly show that probably Basij paramilitaries [ ...] deliberately targeted her”. It later
emerged that a member of the Basij militia, a state security body under the command of the
Revolutionary Guard, incriminated himself by exclaiming after her shooting that he did not mean to kill
her. Caspian Makan was arrested at his home in Tehran four days later.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is reported to have described Neda Agha Soltan's death as
“suspicious”. On 29 June he wrote to the Head of the Judiciary requesting that an investigation be
undertaken into it.
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However, in the days following her killing, a number of government officials made statements denying
that the state security forces were involved in her death and, in some cases, blamed others.
Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, a representative of the Supreme Leader, stated in Friday prayers at
Tehran University on 26 June that the evidence showed that the protesters themselves killed her and
did so as a way of making “propaganda” against the system.
The authorities have since intimidated Iranians who have spoken out about the killing. Chief of Police,
Brigadier General Ahmadi-Moghaddam, is reported to have told a press conference on 30 June that
the Iranian police and Ministry of Intelligence had issued an international arrest warrant via Interpol for
the arrest of DrArash Hejazi, a doctor who tried to save Neda Agha Soltans life at the scene and
who spoke publicly about what he witnessed to international news media. The warrant accused Dr
Arash Hejazi of spreading misinformation about the killing and thereby “poisoning the international
atmosphere” against the Iranian government. Dr Arash Hejazi, as well as the TV journalist who
interviewed Caspian Makan, have both left Iran, fearing for their safety.
The Iranian authorities are reported to have harassed and intimidated Neda Agha Soltans family and
other mourners after her death. Before burying her in Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery, in a section
apparently set aside by the authorities for those killed in the unrest, her family were said to have been
told by the authorities to ensure that no mourners other than family members attend the burial. They
were threatened with unspecified punishment if they did not comply.
The authorities were also reported to have issued a ban on collective prayers for Neda Agha Soltan in
mosques. When Agha Soltan's family and other mourners tried to hold a commemoration service for
her at Niloufar mosque in Abbas Abad, they were interrupted after 10 minutes by about 20 Basij
paramilitaries, who entered the mosque and dispersed the attendees.
Amnesty International has called on the Iranian authorities to take immediate steps to protect Caspian
Makan from torture or other ill-treatment while in detention and, in particular, to ensure that he is not
forced to sign any “confessions” under such treatment.
The organization has urged that Caspian Makan be given immediate access to his lawyer, family and
any medical treatment he may need. It has also called for his immediate and unconditional release
unless he is to be charged with a recognizable criminal offence.
READ MORE
Arrests and deaths continue in Iran as authorities tighten grip (News, 22 July 2009)
Iran: Further Information on Fear of excessive use of force/torture (Document, 23 June 2009)
Iran election unrest
Protesters rights trampled in Iran
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