Death Sentences Upheld Twice for Detainees from December 2017 Protests

“These death sentences are meant to intimidate people”

An informed source in an interview with Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported the confirmation of death sentences for 5 detainees from protesters arrested in December 2017 by the Supreme Court of the country, and stated that despite the denial by Isfahan Province Judiciary, the death sentences of Mahdi Salehi Qaleh Shahrokhi, Mohammad Bastami, Abbas Mohammadi, Majid Nazari Kandari, and Hadi Kiani have been confirmed by the Supreme Court.

On Sunday, July 27, 2020, the public relations office of Isfahan Province Judiciary, citing the head of the judiciary, denied the published reports regarding the confirmation of death sentences for 5 detainees from December 2017 protests, and stated that “no confirmation of execution of any sentence has been received from the higher judicial authorities in this regard so far.”

However, an informed source told the Campaign that these sentences were confirmed by the Supreme Court and the families of these 5 individuals were told that their cases are before the clemency and pardon commission.

Based on videos posted on social media on Wednesday, July 30, 2020, the families of Mahdi Salehi Qaleh Shahrokhi, Mohammad Bastami, Abbas Mohammadi, Majid Nazari Kandari, and Hadi Kiani gathered in front of the Nikbakht Courthouse in Isfahan. The informed source told the Campaign: “They promised pardon for Eid al-Adha to silence the families, but the families were anxious that they might execute them secretly, which is why they gathered in front of the Nikbakht Courthouse and in response have been pressured not to make any statements or give interviews. Throughout this time, they kept promising freedom and forced the families into silence. They issued death sentences saying they would be overturned in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court confirmed it, saying they would be pardoned, and all this time they led the families on.”

According to this informed source, none of these 5 individuals were arrested during the December 2017 protests, and Abbas Mohammadi was not in Khomeini Shahr, Isfahan during the December protests and was traveling. He told the Campaign: “They arrested these boys in Bahman (month), not during the December protests. They raided in the middle of the night and arrested 14 people in the Jooabad neighborhood of Khomeini Shahr, Isfahan. The families did not know where they were for up to 40 days and then found out they were in SEPAH Intelligence detention. Now 9 of these 14 people have received 5-6 year prison sentences from the Second Branch of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court, and 5 people have been sentenced to death twice on charges of moharebeh (armed rebellion) and baghi (corruption on earth). All were subjected to the worst forms of torture to extract false confessions. In court, they also told the judge that they were subjected to the worst torture to make false confessions against themselves. They tortured them to say you burned the Quran and caused unrest and killed people.”

“Baghi through active efforts to advance the goals of rioters, moharebeh through use of firearms with intent to undermine public security and shooting at officials, corruption on earth through disrupting public security and directing rioters leading to disorder and disruption of public safety and disturbance of public opinion” are accusations attributed to December 2017 detainees.

During the December 2017 protests, dozens of people in Khomeini Shahr, Isfahan and other cities across Iran were killed by gunfire from military and security forces. The protests began in the city of Mashhad on December 28, 2017, but the unrest quickly spread to other cities, and security forces responded with increasingly deadly violence.

Asghar Harun al-Rashidi was one of those killed in Khomeini Shahr, Isfahan during the December 2017 protests. According to the informed source’s explanation, the Campaign states: “His family filed a complaint against Basij and SEPAH forces, and SEPAH Intelligence blames these 5 people and says you killed him. Mr. al-Rashidi was present in the protests and was shot from behind, and there is plenty of video, footage and photos showing that security forces were shooting at protesters, but these 5 people have been accused of his murder while there is no document, evidence, photo or film. There is no documentation showing that these 5 people committed any crime. But they were accused of forming a gang; we don’t know why these 5 people were chosen. The government needed a few scapegoats and these 5 people were selected. These death sentences are meant to intimidate people.

If they are telling the truth and a crime was committed, let an open trial be held and the evidence and documentation be presented in an open court.”

This informed source told the Campaign: “They accused them of burning the Quran. Apparently during the December 2017 protests, a building caught fire and everything inside the building burned, and they say the Quran burned and these 5 people set the fire. They presented no documents or evidence, apart from the fact that one of these 5 people, Abbas Mohammadi, was not even in Khomeini Shahr during the December protests and was traveling.”

Meanwhile, Campaign sources reported that the lawyers of Mahdi Salehi Qaleh Shahrokhi, Mohammad Bastami, Abbas Mohammadi, Majid Nazari Kandari, and Hadi Kiani were assigned counsel during the trial.

In recent days, Twitter users with the hashtag #DoNotExecute have called for the “immediate cancellation of the execution” of these 5 individuals.

Source: Campaign for Human Rights in Iran