Akbar Mohammadi ( fa, اکبر محمدی; May 30, 1969 – July 30, 2006) was an Iranian student at Tehran University involved in the 18th of Tir crisis, also known as the July 1999 Iran student protests, Iran's biggest pro-

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...

demonstrations since the

1979 Islamic Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...

. He later died at Evin prison, causing an international outcry.

Background and imprisonment

Akbar Mohammadi was from the city of Amol in northern Iran. The son of Muhammad Mohammadi, Akbar had a brother, Manuchehr, and a sister, Simin. During the July 1999 protests, Manuchehr was arrested and accused of taking a "leading role". Apparently due to his connection with Manuchehr, Akbar was also arrested and reportedly given a

death sentence Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...

for his role in the protest. In an appeal in November 2000, Akbar's sentence was reduced to seven years' imprisonment. Three years later, an additional two years were added to Akbar's sentence following charges that he had given interviews to foreign media and made "political statements". Akbar and Manuchehr's family was for sometime unaware of their location. When the family discovered that Akbar and Manuchehr had been arrested, their father Muhammad and their sister Simin began to lobby on their behalf; both were themselves arrested and sent to Evin prison, with Simin reportedly being beaten before her father.

Death

On July 30, 2006, Akbar Mohammadi died in Evin prison. He had been on a hunger strike for more than a week, reportedly protesting the refusal by the authorities to allow him to seek medical treatment for injuries suffered as a result of torture. Mr. Mohammadi's attorney, Khalil Bahramian, said that according to fellow detainees of his client, he "had been savagely beaten by prison guards in the past few days and that he was carrying the signs of the beatings". Mohammadi's death caused an international outcry. On 3 August 2006,

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...

called on the Iranian government to allow an "independent investigation into the suspicious death in prison of student activist Akbar Mohammadi". This call was supported by hundreds of leading Iranian personalities and groups."Iran's Government Urged for Independent Autopsy of Akbar Mohammadi"
''Iran Press Service'' 3 August 2006

References and notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mohammadi, Akbar 1969 births 2006 deaths Iranian prisoners sentenced to death Iranian people who died in prison custody Iranian torture victims People who died on hunger strike People from Amol Prisoners sentenced to death by Iran Prisoners who died in Iranian detention Iranian democracy activists Iranian dissidents

Background and imprisonment

Death

See also

References and notes