Canadian professor dies in Iranian custody

AN Iranian-canadian university professor detained in Tehran has died in custody, activists and a family member said yesterday, marking the latest suspicious death of a detainee in Iran after a crackdown on dissent following nationwide protests.

They identified the academic as Kavous Seyed-emami, a 63-year-old professor of sociology at Imam Sadeq University in Tehran and the managing director of the Persian Heritage Wildlife Foundation.

His son and the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran said authorities told Mr Seyed-emami’s family that he committed suicide in custody, something they described as suspicious following other detainee deaths. Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran prosecutor, later confirmed the professor’s death saying he had been detained in an alleged espionage ring.

Iran entered the New Year with nationwide protests sweeping across 75 cities and towns. The demonstrations initially focused on Iran’s poor economy, but quickly spiralled into chants directly challenging Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and its theocratic government.