Navid Afkari's lawyer rejects Judiciary News Agency's claim; Navid and Vahid Afkari: We are innocent, we were tortured

Hassan Younesi, Navid Afkari's lawyer and son of the former Iranian Minister of Intelligence, announced that his client's case "does not contain any footage of the moment the crime was committed (the murder of Hassan Turkman, a security guard at the ABFA office), and the alleged footage is from an hour before the murder."

Mizan News Agency, the official news agency of the Judiciary, claimed that "by reviewing the CCTV footage located on the street where the victim was being chased, a person named Navid Afkari was arrested as a suspect in this case."

In an interview with the Emtaed website in Iran, Hassan Younesi, Navid Afkari's lawyer, reported significant deficiencies in the case in terms of compliance with criminal procedure and the evidence relied on by the lower court. He said that Navid Afkari's death sentence on charges of premeditated murder has been finalized in the Supreme Court of Iran, and the appeal regarding the sentences related to moharebeh and committing political crimes is continuing in the Supreme Court.

According to Mr. Younesi, Navid and Vahid Afkari stated in court that their confessions were made under mental and physical pressure and that they denied committing the murder in court.

Navid and Vahid Afkari were arrested a few days after the nationwide protests in August 2018. Their other brother, Habib Afkari, was arrested three months later. They are accused of murdering Hassan Turkman, a security guard at the Shiraz Abfa Department, and of participating in the August 2018 protests. Navid Afkari was sentenced to “double execution,” Vahid Afkari to 54 years in prison and 74 lashes, and Habib Afkari to 27 years in prison and 74 lashes.

Bahieh Namjoo, the mother of Navid, Vahid, and Habib Afkari, released a video she sent to the media, calling for a fair trial for her children, stating that her sons were tortured to testify against each other, and that one of her sons committed suicide twice in prison.

Ms. Namjoo also reported the arrest of her husband and son-in-law, and in a video released by the BBC, she said that her sons were innocent and had been tried in an “unfair trial” without “any evidence.” According to Ms. Namjoo, her son Habib was arrested three months after their wedding, and her other son, Wahid, was tortured enough to testify against his brother, and under the same pressure, he attempted suicide twice.

Navid Afkari, 27, is a wrestler who has won Asian and world medals. Hassan Turkman, a security guard at the Shiraz ABFA office, was “one of the security forces present at the gatherings,” according to Fars News Agency and Mashreq News website.

Navid and Vahid Afkari have stated in audio files from Shiraz prison that their confessions were obtained under torture. In another audio file released from part of Navid Afkari’s trial sessions, he says that there is a forensic report on his torture and that he has witnesses to support his claim. However, the judge in the case rejects his request to summon the witness of his torture at the Shiraz Intelligence Department, saying: “There is no need. If the court finds out, it will investigate. You don’t know how to investigate. Even if we don’t pay attention and don’t investigate, the Supreme Court will investigate.”

Navid Afkari says: “I told the interrogator that I neither recognized that uniform nor had I even heard its name. But under torture, I gave in to their demands to save my family and for Vahid.”

In another part of this audio file, which is related to Navid Afkari's trial, he says: "I was in Ershad for 10 days. Sexual assaults were taking place next to me." In response, a voice is heard saying to him: "So take care of yourself."

In an audio file released by Vahid Afkari from Shiraz Prison, he said of the torture he suffered: “I was threatened that the rest of my family would be arrested. I decided to kill myself. So that at least Navid would survive this ordeal. I was in a coma for three days in Namazi Hospital and no one heard me. Then, during the torture, they put plastic on my head. They beat me with a whip and a chain, and they beat me on the soles of my feet with batons for hours and forced me to walk. They threatened me that they would arrest your mother and sister.”

Vahid Afkari explained: “The victim’s family denied any acquaintance with us from the beginning. I told the judge that if there was anyone who was a witness, summon them to testify. If my cell phone lines were tapped in the area where the murder took place, or if a camera recorded me, show them. If a criminal instrument was discovered on me or in our house, show them. But there was no doubt that such evidence did not exist because we were innocent. The judge, Mehrdad Tahman, was just looking at us. I said that I have evidence that shows that I was somewhere else at the time of the murder and that you kept me in prison for two years innocently. When I said this, the judge just laughed and mocked me and asked if you accept your accusation or not. I wanted reporters and the media to be in court, but the judge objected.”

In the audio file released by Navid Afkari, he describes his accusations as “war, corruption on earth, and forming a group hostile to the regime,” and says: “They say you and your brother are members of a group hostile to the regime. You were present in the Shiraz riots of 2017 and 2018, you insulted the leader. You also killed a security force member. By God, we are innocent. There is no legal evidence or proof in this case. Whatever it is, the following writings are torture. They have also presented some fabricated and false evidence to convict us.”

Over the past few days, social media users have been calling for the release of the Afkari brothers with several hashtags. #Don't_execute_our_promise, #Don't_kill_Navid, #Don't_execute, #Afkari_brothers, and #Free_them are hashtags that have become the top trending topics on Twitter in the past few days.

Mehdi Hajati, a political activist and member of the Shiraz City Council, wrote on his personal Twitter account that “I have been in the same room with #Habib_Afkari, one of the #Afkari_Brothers, for almost eight months. The three brothers are being held in three separate wards on the orders of the security authorities. You are fighting with the shadows, and we have nothing to lose except Iran, don’t even execute our lives #Navidman.”

Pouria Nouri also wrote on her personal Twitter that "My brother Kasra Nouri, who is in the security ward of Adel Abad Prison in Shiraz with one of the Afkari brothers, called from prison and said: #Navid_Afkari has a glimmer of hope in his heart because people heard his plea for justice and protested his death sentence #Don't_execute_Navid_Afkari #SaveNavidAfkari"