Iranian judge’s mysterious death angers activists

PARIS: The unexplained death of a fugitive Iranian judge, who plunged from a top floor of his hotel in Bucharest last week, has infuriated activists who say a rare chance has been missed to bring a senior Iranian official to justice over alleged rights violations.

Gholamreza Mansouri´s body was found by Romanian police on June 19, with the possibility of suicide so far their only lead, according to a police source. But activists are furious that such a significant figure had not been held in custody to face eventual justice -- and for his own protection.

Mansouri, 52, was wanted by Tehran on accusations he took a 500,000-euro ($560,000) bribe, part of a high-profile case that has seen 22 people go on trial, including former senior judiciary official Akbar Tabari. Mansouri had fled Iran last year, first going to Germany and then moving on to Romania, and was the subject of an Iranian arrest warrant.