Tag: Right to a fair trial

Majid Mousavi Muhammerah and Abdoljalil Doraghi Sentenced to a Combined Ten Years in Prison

Posted on by A MN
Freedom of Expression, News
Abdoljalil Doraghi, fair trial, Iman Soleymani, Khuzestan province, Majid Mousavi Muhammerah, Right to a fair trial, solitary confinement, unfair trial, Wahhabism

Branch 16 of the Court of Appeals in Khuzestan Province upheld the initial verdict against Majid Mousavi Muhammerah and Abdoljalil Doraghi. Each had been sentenced to five years in prison by the Revolutionary Court of Ahvaz City.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the court, headed by Judge Koosha, notified Muhammerah and Doraghi’s lawyer that the initial verdict was upheld. The defendants has were charged with “promoting Wahhabism (a fundamentalist movement within Sunni Islam)” and propaganda against the regime”.

“As the attorney of the defendants, I have not received a verdict letter and hence have not been able to ask for a retrial. The Court of Appeals held a session without the attendance of defendants and the attorney, which is in violation of a fair trial. Also, the issued verdict was upheld regardless of newly invoked pieces of evidence and was merely based on what was presented in the initial trial,” their lawyer, Iman Soleymani, told HRANA.

“They did not even let me make a copy of the documents. They hardly even let me review it,” he added.

Muhammerah and Doraghi were arrested by security forces and held in solitary confinement for six months in the detention centre at disposal of the Ministry of Intelligence in Ahvaz City.

They are residents of Ahvaz and worked at a bike repair and falafel shop, respectively.

Two Prisoners Executed in Urmia Prison Before Supreme Court Reaches Verdict on Their Appeal

Posted on by admin-hr
Executions, Prisoners
Citizen executions, Death Penalty, executions, Nasser Azmoudeh, Right to a fair trial, Shahriar Amiri, Supreme Court, unfair trial, Urmia, Urmia prison

On Saturday, July 3, Nasser Azmoudeh and Shahriar Amiri were executed in Urmia Prison, even though the Supreme Court has not yet reached a verdict on their appeal.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the two prisoners had previously been sentenced to death on drug-related charges.

Azmoudeh and Amiri, who had been kept in Urmia Prison since 2018, were transferred to solitary confinement the day before the execution took place.

The lack of a fair and transparent trial process in the Iranian judiciary, especially in cases that lead to irreversible sentences such as the death penalty, has long been criticized by human rights organizations. Just this week, the death sentence of a prisoner who was executed 10 months ago was overturned by the Supreme Court.

Iran ranks first in the world in citizen executions per capita, according to international organizations. The Statistics and Publication Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) reported that between January 1st and December 20th of 2020, at least 236 citizens were executed.

One of these citizens was executed publicly, and two were juvenile offenders. An additional 95 citizens were sentenced to death.

According to the report, more than 72% of executions in Iran are not reported by the government or the judiciary. Human rights organizations call these “secret executions”.

The executions of Azmoudeh and Amiri have not been announced by Iranian media or official sources as of this writing.

Suleiman Karimpour Sent to Mahabad Prison to Serve out 2-Year Sentence

Posted on by admin-hr
Freedom of Expression, Prisoners
irgc, Mahabad Prison, Ministry of Intelligence, Right to a fair trial, Suleiman Karimpour, unfair trial

On May 18, Soleiman Karimpour, a citizen of Mahabad in the West Azerbaijan province, was sent  to Mahabad Prison on charges of “collaborating with one of the opposition parties”.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kurdpa,  Karimpour was sentenced by the Mahabad Revolutionary Court to two years in prison, and the confiscation of a private car. The sentence was later upheld by the Court of Appeals.

in September 2020, Suleiman Karimpour was arrested by security forces and later transferred from the IRGC Intelligence Detention Center to Mahabad Prison. He was released on bail in December 2020.

Per the report, Karimpour was denied a lawyer and family visits during his detention.