Iran confirms dead arrested activist

teheran - An Iranian-Canadian activist has been deprived of life in captivity. A prosecutor said in the Iranian capital Tehran, after the son of Kavous Seyed-Emami had reported the death of his father via Twitter.

The authorities had arrested Seyed-Emami (63) because of a espionage case. The activist had a top position within the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, which wants to protect rare animal species in Iran. The man also worked at an Iranian university, where he taught sociology.

'He was one of the suspects in a espionage case and unfortunately committed suicide in prison,' said Prosecutor Abbas Jafari-Dolatabadi on Sunday against ILNA news agency. 'He knew that many people had made incriminating statements about him. '

The prosecutor had reported the arrest of several suspects a day earlier. They would have collected 'secret information' under the guise of 'scientific and environmental projects. '

The family of the deceased activist demands that an independent party perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death.