Dr. Ramin Pourandarjani: Murdered in Iran for Refusal to Falsify Death Certificates at Kahrizak Prison

The government of Iran appears to have had Dr. Ramin Pourandarjani murdered. The protestors think so. They are carrying signs with an image of his face. It seems clear this death was a murder: The government of Iran keeps switching the cause of death. First Iran said his cause of death was a car accident, next a heart attack, next suicide, and then poisoning according to the Wall Street journal.

The day before he was murdered, Dr. Pourandarjani went to the offices of Iran's parliament to inform them he felt his life was at risk and that he needed help.

Dr. Pourandarjani, a 26-year-old doctor, died in November in Iran under very mysterious circumstances. He was delivered a salad that was laced with large amounts of ground up propranolol, a drug used to control blood pressure.

Dr. Pourandarjani grew up in Tabriz. He was a graduate of Tabriz Medical University. His mother worked as an elementary school teacher. His father works in a bazaar. Ramin was the eldest child in his family.

Dr. Pourandarjani had warned his parents and friends that he was afraid for his life, and was receiving threatening phone calls and being followed according to the Wall Street Journal. He had become an enemy of the government due to his work in Kahrizak prison. He refused to falsify death certificates of prisoners who had died of torture. He testified to the occurrence of rape and torture in the prison.

Dr. Pourandarjani spoke out about the truth of torture and rape occurring in Kahrizak prison. He was probably murdered for taking a stand and telling the truth. The government of Iran has killed him as a dissident. They have stolen his future and murdered a man who was trained to help humanity.

Dr. Pourandarjani was working at Kahrizak detention center to complete the mandated military service in Iran. He defied orders to falsify death certificates. He bravely spoke out about the true cause of death of murdered prisoners who could no longer speak for themselves. One of the prisoners, Mohsen Ruholamini, whose death certificate Dr. Pourandarjani refused to falsify was only age 19 or perhaps 24, as media reports vary.

Iran says Mohsen Ruholamini died of meningitis. Dr. Pourandarjani listed the actual cause of his death as: "physical stress, multiple blows to the head and chest and severe injuries" notes the Wall Street Journal. Dr. Pourandarjani stated that "officials in Kahrizak threatened that if I disclosed the causes of the wounds of the injured at Kahrizak, I would not be able to live" notes the Huffington Post.

Young Mohsen Ruholamini was the son of a conservative father who supports Iran's leadership. Now however, he is speaking up and demanding truth and justice for his son.

Dr. Pourandarjani's mother, Ruhangiz Pourandarjani, said "I sent off my young, healthy, and beautiful son to military service, and I got his dead body back."

Iran continues to insist prisons in jails are safe, despite many people speaking out about the torture and rapes occurring in the prisons. Hundreds of protestors were taken to Kahrizak prison; conditions there were so bad the prison was shut down recently according to the Huffington Post.

Before the murder of Dr. Pourandarjani, he was arrested and told he might face medical malpractice allegations and possible loss of his license to practice medicine. The government of Iran was harassing him. After being released on bail he started to investigate attending medical school abroad.

Alas his plan to leave Iran did not come to fruition. It seems he was murdered by the evil leadership of Iran.

The organization Physicians for Human Rights has sent a letter to Iran demanding an investigation of Dr. Pourandarjani's death. For more information go to: http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/library/documents/letters/letter-to-iranian-authorities.pdf

Source:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126118381849697953.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsSecond

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/02/ramin-pouranderjani-iran-_n_376883.html