Iran’s president orders investigation after activists alleged police tortured man to death

Iran’s president orders an investigation into the death of a man in custody after activists allege he was tortured to death by police officers in the country’s north, the latest such fatality to gain the nation’s attention.

The order came from reformist Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, elected last month, who campaigned on a promise to halt such deaths in custody. In 2022, the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by the morality police for allegedly not wearing her headscarf correctly, sparked nationwide protests.

In the latest case, five police officers have already been temporarily detained as the investigation is ongoing.

Activists identified the dead man as 36-year-old Mohammad Mir Mousavi from the city of Lahijan in Gilan province, near the Caspian Sea. They say he was arrested on Saturday following a street brawl and died on Tuesday.

Police and the government offered few details on why the authorities chose to investigate Mousavi’s death.