Fri 19 June 2020:
Gholamreza Mansouri, an Iranian judge accused of corruption in Iran and of human rights violations by activists, has been found dead outside a hotel he was staying at in the Romanian capital Bucharest on Friday, according to media reports.
Mansouri died after falling out of a window in the hotel, RFE/RL’s Romanian service reported.
It is unclear if the incident was the cause of an accident, whether he committed suicide, or if a crime was committed.
Mansouri had fled Iran after being accused of taking 500,000 euros in bribes.
He had previously denied he is on the run in a video shared on social media, saying he is abroad to receive medical treatment, and that he will be returning to Iran soon. He did not say what country he was in.
Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said Mansouri could not yet be extradited back to Iran due to coronavirus restrictions.
Mansouri’s promise to return was not “serious,” which is why Iran took legal action to have him arrested, said Esmaili.
Mansouri is also accused of having been involved in the arrest and torture of dozens of journalists in Iran. This prompted a number of Iranian journalists and human rights activists to demand his arrest in Europe.
A judge in Bucharest had temporarily released Mansouri under “certain conditions,” giving Iran until July 10 to present a formal extradition request, Radio Farda reported last week.
The judge had also ruled that Mansouri would not be handed over to the Interpol until Romanian authorities could verify that his life would not be in danger following his potential extradition to Iran.
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