Rooz Exclusive Report on Ramin Pourandarjani’s Murder

While the Islamic Republic judiciary officials have turned silent after making several contradictory statements about the death of Ramin Pourandarjani, Rooz has determined that contrary to official claims, the young doctor at Tehran’s Kahrizak prison did not in fact commit suicide, but that he died by means other than poison.  This conclusion is based on information obtained from a source closely associated with the case and from documents related to the case.

As a resident doctor at the Kahrizak detention facility, Ramin Pourandarjani had examined some of the prison detainees who had been murdered at the facility, after which he himself was announced dead. Officials initially attributed his death to a heart attack, but later said that Pourandarjani had committed suicide. Eventually, the coroner’s office announced that the young doctor had died of poisoning. But documents obtained by Rooz reveal that the official account of Ramin Pourandarjani’s death is not true.

According to these documents, police officer Sotvan Noorian from police station #129 had written this in his report on the body of the victim: “Signs of bruising and blood spots are visible in the [victim’s] neck area.” Thos was the first officer who had arrived at the scene of crime.

This vital evidence was for some reason completely ignored by the coroner’s office. And without referencing the bruising or discussing it, the coroner’s office blamed the young doctor’s death on poisoning. But even there, the office did not provide any details on the kind of poisoning that it claimed took place.

Based on the new evidence, Rezagholi Pourandarjani, Ramin Pourandarjani’s father, has written a letter to judiciary officials and the prosecutor in the case: “Ramin’s death was not caused by suicide or natural forces. The initial report from the crime scene at Ramin’s office indicates that Ramin was strangled by applying pressure to the neck area.”

Ramin’s father has requested an investigation based on the new evidence.

After obtaining the new documents, RoozOnline contacted Ramin Pourandarjani’s father. He confirmed the existence of the report indicating evidence of strangling and said that the report was part of  Ramin’s trial documents.

Asking for the identification and prosecution of his son’s murderers, Ramin’s father tells Rooz, “First they said he committed suicide. They even gave us a will. Then they said it was a heart attack. Following that, they said he was poisoned by medical pills. We don’t believe even one percent of their claims and filed an official complaint with the authorities. Till today, we have not received any answers.”

Rooz’s investigation also revealed that Ramin’s family members and relatives in Tabriz were not allowed to view the victim’s body.

One person close to Ramin tells Rooz, “The religious prayers and preparations for burial all took place in Tehran in his family’s absence. The family’s request to change Ramin’s burial cloth in Tabriz was rejected by officials; family members’ request to view their son’s body in Tabriz was also refused. These details demonstrate that there are issues that have been kept away from the eyes of the law and family members, especially as officials also refused to allow Ramin’s family to view his body,” which indicated signs of body harm as recorded by the police.