Mahan Hosseini

The account published regarding the fate of Mahan Hosseini presents a disturbing image of arbitrary detention, torture, and enforced disappearance of a 20-year-old youth in Gilan province. According to a report published by Tavana, Mahan Hosseini was arrested on February 1, at 4 PM, in Lasht-e-Nashah Park by 14 plainclothes forces without any judicial order and was transferred to an unknown location. A few hours later, that same night around 8:30 PM, eight armed forces entered the Hosseini family home with vehicles associated with the IRGC and Basij, claiming to have a search warrant. This search lasted about 10 minutes, during which a soldier's boots, a jacket, and a working knife belonging to Mahan's father — who is a fisherman — were confiscated. At 11:31 PM that same day, a message was sent from Pirouz Hospital in Lahijan to Mahan's mother indicating that he was hospitalized and in critical condition. However, after repeated visits and inquiries by the family, the hospital admission officials initially denied any knowledge of his presence. According to this report, one of the hospital's accounting staff confirmed that Mahan had been transferred to one of the rooms and was subjected to severe torture, resulting in internal bleeding and vomiting blood. When Mahan's father and uncle managed to enter the room, the plainclothes forces attacked them and threatened that they would be arrested if they continued to pursue the matter. The family was informed that their child's charge was 'Moharebeh' and his sentence would be 'death penalty'. According to this account, Mahan Hosseini was subjected to torture by government forces from 4 PM until around 11 PM, without any court being held, a judge present, or a legal order issued. Since that night, no official information regarding his fate has been released. His life status, place of detention, and physical condition remain unknown. This case, as stated in the report, exemplifies arbitrary detention, torture, family threats, and enforced disappearance.