Djouma Bah, who was a social sciences student, was reportedly caught using his phone during Guinea’s national baccalaureate on July 15, when he was arrested with other students, also suspected of exam fraud.

Two days later, he was found guilty of cheating and sentenced to six months in prison, five of which were suspended.

He was serving his one-month prison sentence in the town of Kindia, about 137 kilometers (85 miles) northeast of the capital, Conakry, when his health deteriorated.

The teenager was later taken to the regional hospital for treatment.

Saliou Bah told the BBC that when he visited his son in hospital, the boy said he couldn’t breathe properly and asked him to lean on him.

“Then he looked at me and said, ‘Dad, I’m dying,'” Saliou Bah said.

“Those were his last words.”

The teen spent about two days in the hospital before being released to return home, where he died, according to authorities.

Education Minister Alpha Bacar Barry said he was “deeply saddened by the news” and expressed his “sincere condolences” to the family.

Human rights organizations are also calling for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death and the prosecution of other students.

On Wednesday, students demonstrated over the arrests of their classmates and called for their release.

“A student should not be sent to prison. These young people are the future of our country,” said Saliou Bah.

“I also ask the authorities to release the other students who are still detained before they too lose their lives.

“We lost our son; we lost our future.”