Gholamreza Mansuri

As head of the Branch 9 of the Culture and Media Court, Gholamreza Mansouri has been responsible for the unjust detention and trial of journalists and the filtering of the Internet.

In January 2012, Mansouri issued a detention order for the arrest of 16 journalists. Multiple groups of witnesses reported that Ministry of Intelligence forces raided Etemad newspaper in Tehran, and arrested the newspaper’s staff. In October 2012, Mansouri also issued the order for seizure of Shargh Newspaper and arrest of its director.

Testimonies of witnesses with Justice for Iran

"Justice for Iran Expresses Concern over Pressure on 16 Imprisoned Journalists for Forced Confession of having ties with the BBC", Justice for Iran, 2012 https://justice4iran.org/persian/publication/call-for-action/journalist-mass-arrest/

"Azam Jangarvi, Girl of Enghelab Street: Judge Mansouri Destroyed My Life", Radio Farda, July 4, 2016 https://www.radiofarda.com/a/azam-jangravi-on-judge-mansouri/30681532.html

On 8 June 2020, the Iranian media announced that Gholamreza Mansouri, whose name was mentioned as the ninth-degree defendant in the corruption case of Akbar Tabari, a former judiciary official, had fled the country. Media then revealed Mansouri's trip to Germany and then to Romania. Reporters Without Borders filed a complaint against Mansouri with the German Federal Prosecutor's Office and then with the Romanian Prosecutor's Office. A Romanian court banned Mansouri from leaving the country until the case was heard and placed him under police surveillance.

Friday, June 19, 2020, the media reported that Mansouri's body was found in the hotel where he was staying. On September 4, 2020, the Romanian prosecutor's office announced that the cause of his death was suicide.

“Iranian Ex-Judge Wanted by Tehran Found Dead in Romania”, Balkan Insight, 19 June 2020 https://balkaninsight.com/2020/06/19/iranian-ex-judge-wanted-by-tehran-found-dead-in-romania/

Fugitive Iranian Judge Dies After Fall From Hotel in Romania, New York Times, 23 June 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/19/world/middleeast/iran-judge-romania-bucharest-hotel.html 

Mansouri was responsible for the illegal detention of the family of Saeed Karimian, the head of GEM TV, including his siblings, and their transfer to a security prison to pressurise Karimian for shutting down his TV network.

On June 10, 2020, GEM TV announced that Gholamreza Mansouri had "taken hostage" the family members of Saeed Karimian, the former director of the network, in 2012 in order to shut down the station. According to GEM TV, the judge arrested Saeed Karimian's brothers and sister and tried to force him to close the network, but "even after a temporary closure for 10 days, Mansouri refused to release them."

Saeed Karimian was assassinated in 2017 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Gholamreza Mansouri; 'took Saeed Karimian's family hostage', BBC Farsi, June 10, 2020 

https://www.bbc.com/persian/iran-52965240

On 8 June 2020, the Iranian media announced that Gholamreza Mansouri, whose name was mentioned as the ninth-degree defendant in the corruption case of Akbar Tabari, a former judiciary official, had fled the country. Media then revealed Mansouri's trip to Germany and then to Romania. Reporters Without Borders filed a complaint against Mansouri with the German Federal Prosecutor's Office and then with the Romanian Prosecutor's Office. A Romanian court banned Mansouri from leaving the country until the case was heard and placed him under police surveillance.

Friday, June 19, 2020, the media reported that Mansouri's body was found in the hotel where he was staying. On September 4, 2020, the Romanian prosecutor's office announced that the cause of his death was suicide.

“Iranian Ex-Judge Wanted by Tehran Found Dead in Romania”, Balkan Insight, 19 June 2020 https://balkaninsight.com/2020/06/19/iranian-ex-judge-wanted-by-tehran-found-dead-in-romania/

Fugitive Iranian Judge Dies After Fall From Hotel in Romania, New York Times, 23 June 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/19/world/middleeast/iran-judge-romania-bucharest-hotel.html 

As the head of the Ershad Prosecution's Office, Mansouri was in charge of handling the so-called 'Revolution Street Girls' case. She was responsible for the trial and sentencing of women's rights activists who removed their headscarves in protest of the forced hijab laws on Revolution Street.

Azam Jangarvi, one of the Revolution Street Girls, stated on Radio Farda's website that Mansouri was the judge in her case and addressed her inappropriately and threatened her in court:

"... Wretched woman, were you looking for a husband? Were you  mentally ill that you took your scarf off? I will take your life from you, I will take everything from you… Do you drive, do you have a license? You won’t anymore. You should not study anymore, you are not qualified to study… Do you work? You are mental, you are not qualified to work, you should not work anymore… You are mental, you have no right and you cannot take care of your child. "

By Mansouri's order, Jangrawi lost her job and the process of revoking the custody of her child began.

"Azam Jangarvi, Girl of Revolution Street: Judge Mansouri Destroyed My Life", Radio Farda, July 4, 2020  

Mansouri; From Bucharest Street to Bucharest Street, ISNA, 20 June 2020

On 8th of June 2020, Iranian media announced that Gholamreza Mansouri, whose name was mentioned as the ninth-degree defendant in the corruption case of Akbar Tabari, a former judiciary official, had fled the country. Media then revealed Mansouri's trip to Germany and then to Romania. Reporters Without Borders filed a complaint against Mansouri with the German Federal Prosecutor's Office and then with the Romanian Prosecutor's Office. A Romanian court banned Mansouri from leaving the country until the case was heard and placed him under police surveillance.

On Friday, June 19th, 2020, the media reported that Mansouri's body was found in the hotel where he was staying. On September 4th, 2020, the Romanian prosecutor's office announced that the cause of his death was suicide.

“Iranian Ex-Judge Wanted by Tehran Found Dead in Romania”, Balkan Insight, 19 June 2020 Fugitive Iranian Judge Dies After Fall From Hotel in Romania, New York Times, 23 June 2020