1 year ago
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The grave of Mansoureh Sagvand
The body of Mansoureh Sagvand, the former police assistant who defected in the wake of nationwide protests, was laid to rest in her native town amid high tensions.
According to information received by Iran International, the funeral ceremony was held on Tuesday in the village of Rig Sefid near Khorramabad while regime agents closed roads leading to the village.
A large number of people showed up for her funeral service despite the heavy security presence. The mourners sang local folklore songs with themes such as ‘time to fight’ and ‘resistance’ while holding placards that called for justice over her death.
Sagvand had said in a message to her friend that she was threatened with death by the intelligence officers, emphasizing: "If something bad happens to me, I want everyone know that I did not commit suicide."
The young girl was a law student in the southern city of Abdanan and resigned from her position as a police aide amid the anti-regime protests in the past months.
Her body was found in her house in Abdanan a few days after she was released from police custody on bail on unknown charges.
Activists say evidence suggests Sagvand has been murdered by the Iranian regime as she was a staunch supporter of the exiled prince Reza Pahlavi. However, just like they did with Mahsa Amini who died in morality police custody, Iranian officials are claiming that Sagvand died of a cardiac arrest.
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi published a photo of Mansoureh Sagvand on Monday, calling on the people of Lorestan and neighboring provinces to participate in the funeral ceremony of “the daughter of Iran".
"Let the regime and its mercenaries know these crimes will not be forgotten, and any disturbance in the funeral ceremony and harassment of his bereaved family will only fuel the anger of the Iranian people," read his tweet.
Last week, Bamshad Soleimankhani, a 21-year-old student from Abdanan, died in hospital with symptoms of poisoning shortly after being released from prison after his arrest for participating in protests. Local media also said signs of fracture and torture were visible on the young man’s body.
Following Soleimankhani's suspicious death, the city of Abdanan became the scene of anti-government protests on Friday, in which at least 20 protesters were injured by birdshots.
This is not the first time the Islamic Republic does not assume responsibility for the ill-treatment and torture of detainees. During the nationwide protests the clerical regime claimed many protesters died after falling from a height or committing suicide.
