Detained civilian Saadollah Ayini attempted suicide yesterday at the detention centre of the Ministry of Intelligence in Ilam, western Iran, due to pressures from security interrogators to force him to make “confessions”.

The civilian was transferred to a medical centre in the city after his suicide attempt.

On 14 February, security forces arrested Ayini and four other civilians, Farshad Ayini, Hossein Bapirvand, Azim Yadegari, and Safoura Maleki, in Dehloran, Ilam province, and took them to the intelligence ministry’s detention facility in Ilam.

Safoura Maleki was released on bail on 18 March, but the other four civilians still remain in custody.

The detainees have been denied the right to legal counsel and family visits since their arrest.

If you live in Iran and are contemplating suicide, contact the following numbers:

Social Emergency: 123, Urban Emergency: 115, Counsellor: 1480, Tehran Psychiatric Emergency: 44508200