“The death sentence of the three Aban protesters has not yet been confirmed by the Supreme Court”
While some media outlets reported that the Supreme Court had upheld the death sentences of three protesters of the November unrest, Iran's Judiciary News Agency denied the news. "Mizan" also published photos of "the defendants' lawyers in court."
The Mizan News Agency, affiliated with the judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran, denied the news that the Supreme Court had upheld the death sentences of three protesters of the November unrest. The news agency wrote: “According to the announcement of Gholamhossein Esmaili [spokesperson for the judiciary], the case file sent to the Supreme Court regarding the November protests has not yet been returned, and the Supreme Court’s decision confirming the sentence has not yet reached us.”
Earlier, the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA) news agency reported that it had been informed through contact with one of the three men's lawyers that their death sentences had been confirmed by the Supreme Court. This news was immediately denied by the Young Journalists Club, which is affiliated with the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation.
After this denial, the HRANA website contacted an informed source again and wrote about it: "The informed source, who did not want to be named for security reasons, while reiterating the accuracy of the news that the verdict of these individuals was confirmed by the Supreme Court, said that this case has special circumstances, the lawyers have strictly avoided providing information, and they now hope to make a change in this verdict by reducing sensitivities during the appeal stage."
The preliminary verdicts for Amirhossein Moradi, Saeed Tamjidi, and Mohammad Rajabi, who were arrested in November, were issued four months ago by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court, headed by Abolghasem Salavati. The Revolutionary Court sentenced the three to death, 38 years in prison, and 222 lashes on charges of “participating in sabotage and arson with the intention of opposing the regime.”
Publication of photos of “case lawyers”
Mizan News Agency published photos from the trial of three November protesters who were sentenced to death, writing that “all three of these individuals had lawyers during the trial.”
The news agency, publishing a handwritten letter and two interrogation sheets, also wrote that Maryam Moradi, a relative of Amir Hossein Moradi - one of the three defendants - represented him, and that the other two defendants used the option of a surrogate lawyer due to their lack of financial means.
Meanwhile, attorney Babak Paknia, who represents Amir Hossein Moradi, regularly posts information about this case on his Twitter account.
Previously, the Emtaad website quoted him as saying: "While the cases had gone to court and were even being processed, colleagues were being given false information, saying that these cases had not been registered at all. But they told me that the case had been registered but they could not provide it to me."
Babak Paknia wrote on Twitter on July 25 that as Amir Hossein Moradi's lawyer, he cannot confirm or deny the news of the Supreme Court's confirmation of the death sentence.
The death sentences for these three protesters have sparked widespread criticism and protests. From the US State Department spokesperson to Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, many have protested the sentences, calling them unjust.
Amirhossein Moradi and Mohammad Rajabi are both 25 years old and have diplomas. Saeed Tamjidi is 27 years old and is a student of electrical engineering.
Source: DW
