Saman Rasoulpour

Esmail Lotfollahi is the brother of Ebrahim Lotfollahi, a student from Sanandaj who died ‎mysteriously while in detention. Rooz has conducted an exclusive interview with Esmail ‎about his brother’s detention and subsequent death. Esmail insists that his brother has not ‎committed suicide: “we have not believed his death yet. The whole thing happened in ‎only 8 days.” ‎

Rooz (R): Mr. Lotfollahi! A few days after your brother’s arrest they informed you that ‎he has committed suicide. Tell us more.‎

Esmail Lotfollahi (EL): On January 6, 2008, security forces arrested and transferred my ‎brother to a detention center in Sanandaj, minutes after he completed a university exam. ‎On January 15, meaning 8 days after his arrest, they contacted us from the detention ‎center and said that Ebrahim has committed suicide and has been buried in the Behesht-e ‎Mohammadi cemetery. ‎

R: Did you go to the cemetery?‎

EL: Yes, we did. They showed us Ebrahim’s grave, over which they had poured ‎concrete over. ‎

R: Concrete?!‎

EL: Yes. They have poured concrete over his grave, probably so that we would not be ‎able to take his body out for examination and see things they didn’t want us to see.‎

R: Like what?‎

EL: Signs of torture or anything else that can cause a person’s death. ‎

R: Did anyone witness your brother’s burial? ‎

EL: Someone who worked there told us that a few people came in a government car and ‎buried his body. ‎

R: Did he see your brother’s corpse?‎

EL: No he didn’t. Security forces had buried him themselves and did not allow anyone to ‎get close to the scene. ‎

R: You said that you visited Ebrahim in prison a few days after his arrest. Tell us about ‎that visit. How was your brother’s physical and mental condition during that visit?‎

EL: My mother and I went to prison to visit him and we were able to meet him in a ‎cabin. My brother’s morale was high, like always. He even asked me to bring warm ‎clothes for him. In general, he was doing well. ‎

R: It didn’t seem like he was planning a suicide? ‎

EL: Absolutely not! We don’t believe that he has committed suicide. He was doing well ‎both mentally and physically. If he has committed suicide then why didn’t they let us see ‎his corpse? Why did they burry him themselves and then pour concrete over his corpse? ‎

R: Why did they arrest him in the first place? ‎

EL: He was full of energy and interested in student affairs. They say he was active in the ‎university. Even before they arrested him, security forces came to our house one or two ‎times but he wasn’t home, until they arrested him on the university exam day. He had no ‎history of previous arrests. ‎

R: What was Ebrahim studying? ‎

EL: Ebrahim was 27 ears old, and was completing his 7th semester at Payam-e Nour’s ‎law school. ‎

R: Since you do not believe that he committed suicide, are you planning to investigate ‎the matter further? ‎

EL: We want to examine his corpse. Ebrahim’s corpse must be examined to determine ‎the exact cause of death. We have hired an attorney and will file a suit against people ‎who were directly or indirectly involved in my brother’s death. Right now we don’t even ‎know if my brother is in that grave. ‎

R: How are your mother and father doing?‎

EL: They are so sad. They haven’t believed that Ebrahim is not alive yet. The whole ‎thing took 8 days. First he was arrested, then we met him in prison, then they call us ‎from prison and give us the address of his grave. We are shocked. ‎

R: Is there anything else you want to add? ‎

EL: No! We hope that the true criminals are found and that we witness their punishment ‎with our own eyes. ‎