Confirmation of Ares Amiri’s 10-Year Prison Sentence: Conviction Without Legal Evidence and Without Holding an Appeal Trial
Ares Amiri’s cousin, a dual-national prisoner who has been sentenced to 10 years in a final appellate court decision, told the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that the appellate court’s “unjust” ruling was delivered to Amiri’s lawyer early Sunday, August 27. According to this ruling, Branch 36 of the appellate court confirmed “10 years imprisonment” for Ares Amiri and “two years of employment ban and travel ban” on the charge of “running a seditious network with the goal of overthrowing the Islamic Republic system.” Ares Amiri is currently being held in the women’s ward of Evin Prison.
Mohsen Omrani, Ares Amiri’s cousin, regarding the evidence supporting the charges against her and which seditious network she allegedly managed, said: “The lawyer and Ares’s family have repeatedly asked the court what is the name of this illegal group or network that Ares allegedly founded or ran, so they would at least know what it is, but no name of any group or network has been mentioned in the court or in the ruling. In fact, Ares has been convicted of this charge and such a severe sentence without legal evidence and without the existence of any group.”
According to Mohsen Omrani, Ares’s appellate court hearing was conducted without her presence or her lawyer’s presence: “Based on Ibrahim Raisi’s request to expedite case proceedings, there is no longer a necessity to hold an appellate court hearing; however, how could it be justified not to hold such a hearing for a sensitive case like Ares, who faced a 10-year prison sentence and whose only hope for changing this ruling was defending herself in appellate court? Even her right to appeal was taken from her.”
Amiri recently wrote a letter to Ibrahim Raisi, the head of the judiciary, stating that officials in the Ministry of Intelligence had requested her cooperation, and after she rejected their request, she was arrested again and charged with a new accusation of “running a seditious network.”
Omrani, expressing that Ares Amiri’s family is saddened by the confirmation of this ruling, said: “Ares’s family has repeatedly approached officials for help and received assurances that the ruling would be overturned, and for this reason they were hopeful that with the exact confirmation of the court’s sentence, their daughter became deeply disappointed.”
Ares Amiri’s cousin, noting that Ares has no physical problems and is trying to keep herself mentally energetic and cheerful, stated that the reality is that a young woman must spend 10 years of her life in prison for a crime she did not commit and an unjust conviction. Naturally, no matter how energetic she is, this ruling will take its toll on her.
Mohsen Omrani, regarding the court’s sensitivity about the British Council institution where Amiri worked before her arrest, said: “Ares worked at the British Council through a job advertisement as a regular employee, and as the British Council has formally announced, Ares had no managerial role in this organization. Despite the pleas of Ares’s family and lawyers, the judicial and security authorities have never specified which illegal seditious group according to them Ares managed that would warrant such a severe sentence. Interestingly, what is missing in this case is the alleged seditious group and the reason for Ares’s management of the alleged seditious group, and it is unclear which seditious network is being referred to in the ruling issued against Ares.”
Source: Campaign for Human Rights
