International Organisation to Preserve Human Rights committed to the defense of justice, accountability, and the rule of law, expresses profound concern regarding the suspicious death of Khosrow Alikordi, a respected human-rights lawyer in Iran.
Khosrow Alikordi devoted his professional life to the defense of political prisoners, protesters, and the families of victims of state violence. By undertaking highly sensitive cases in an increasingly repressive legal environment, he emerged as a rare and courageous independent legal voice. His work not only provided legal protection to victims of injustice, but also exposed systemic violations embedded within Iran’s judicial and security institutions. For this, he was subjected to sustained pressure and persecution.
In light of the well-documented pattern of deaths of detainees and former prisoners in Iran, frequently linked to ill-treatment, torture, denial of medical care, and coercion in custody, the death of Mr. Alikordi at a relatively young age and in the absence of any known serious illness is deeply alarming and inherently suspicious. The long-standing record of the Iranian authorities in issuing opaque explanations, restricting families, suppressing independent forensic review, and forcibly silencing opposition figures reinforces the gravity of these concerns.
Given these precedents, the death of Khosrow Alikordi cannot be accepted as a routine or purely medical matter. His case bears all the hallmarks that, under international human rights standards, require a deep, impartial, independent, and internationally supervised investigation. Such an investigation must include full forensic transparency, access for independent experts, and protection for witnesses and family members.
IOPHR therefore calls upon the Iranian authorities to immediately:
Authorize an independent forensic investigation with international participation,
– Guarantee full transparency of medical, judicial, and custodial records,
– Ensure the safety and freedom of the Alikordi family from intimidation or coercion and
– Cooperate fully with relevant UN human rights mechanisms.
Until such an investigation is conducted in accordance with international standards, serious doubts regarding state responsibility will persist. Accountability in this case is essential not only for justice for Khosrow Alikordi and his family, but also for the protection of lawyers, human-rights defenders, and all those who risk their lives to defend fundamental freedoms in Iran.
The International Organisation to Preserve Human Rights emphasises that this suspicious death, which occurred on the anniversary of the chain murders, must be considered among those killings until the results of an independent and international investigation are clarified.
Justice delayed is justice denied. Silence in the face of such a death would amount to complicity.