Akbar Mohammadi (; May 30, 1969 – July 30, 2006) was an Iranian student at

Tehran University The University of Tehran (UT) or Tehran University (, ) is a public collegiate university in Iran, and the oldest and most prominent Iranian university located in Tehran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as ...

involved in the 18th of Tir crisis, also known as the July 1999 Iran student protests, Iran's biggest pro-

democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...

demonstrations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. He later died at Evin prison, causing an international outcry.

Background and imprisonment

Akbar Mohammadi was from the city of

Amol Amol ( ; ) is a city in the Central District (Amol County), Central District of Amol County, Mazandaran province, Mazandaran province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Amol is located on the Haraz River bank. It is ...

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 and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

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 that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

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 People killed in protests in Iran Iranian hunger strikers

Background and imprisonment

Death

See also

References and notes