Lawyer of Navid Afkari Rejects Judiciary News Agency Claims; Navid and Vahid Afkari: We Are Innocent, We Were Tortured

Hassan Younesi, lawyer of Navid Afkari and son of Iran’s former intelligence minister, announced that in his client’s case “there is no footage of the moment of the crime (the murder of Hassan Turkman, employee of Abfa administration’s security department) and the alleged video is from one hour before the time of the murder.”

Mizan News Agency, the official news agency of the judiciary, had claimed that “by reviewing surveillance camera footage on the street where the victim was pursued, a person named Navid Afkari was arrested as a suspect in this case.”

Hassan Younesi, Navid Afkari’s lawyer, in an interview with the Emtedad website in Iran reported significant defects in the case regarding compliance with criminal procedure law and the evidence on which the lower court based its verdict, and stated that Navid Afkari’s death sentence for intentional murder has been finalized in Iran’s Supreme Court, and appeals regarding verdicts related to moharebeh (enmity against God) and committing political crimes continue in the country’s Supreme Court.

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

Navid and Vahid Afkari were arrested several days after the nationwide protests of Mordad 1397 (August 2018). Their other brother, Habib Afkari, was arrested three months later. They are accused of murdering Hassan Turkman, an employee of Abfa administration’s security department in Shiraz, moharebeh, and participating in the Mordad 1397 protests, and Navid Afkari has been sentenced to “two death sentences,” Vahid Afkari to 54 years imprisonment, 74 lashes, and Habib Afkari to 27 years imprisonment and 74 lashes.

Bahareh Namjoo, mother of Navid, Vahid, and Habib Afkari, by releasing a video sent to media outlets, called for a fair trial for her sons and announced that her sons were tortured to testify against each other, and one of her sons attempted 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 are innocent and were tried in a single session of an “unjust court” without “any evidence.” According to Ms. Namjoo, her son Habib was arrested three months after his wedding, and her other son Vahid was tortured so much that he testified against his brother, and under these pressures attempted suicide twice.

Navid Afkari, 27 years old, is a wrestler who holds Asian and world medals. Hassan Turkman, an employee of Abfa administration’s security department in Shiraz, according to Fars News Agency and Mashriq News website, was “one of the security forces present at the Shiraz gatherings.”

Navid and Vahid Afkari in audio files from Shiraz prison announced that their confessions were made under torture. In another audio file from part of Navid Afkari’s trial sessions, he says that there is a forensic medical report about his torture and he has witnesses for his claim. The trial judge, however, rejects his request to summon witnesses to his torture at the Shiraz intelligence office and says: “It is not necessary. If the court determines, 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 prosecutor that I neither know that person’s clothes nor have I even heard his name. But under torture, for the sake of saving my family and for Vahid’s sake, I gave in to their demands.”

In another part of this audio file related to Navid Afkari’s court, he says: “I was in the Ershad office for 10 days. Sexual assault was happening next to me.” In response, a voice is heard addressing him saying: “Then be careful of yourself.”

In an audio file released from Vahid Afkari from Shiraz prison, he spoke of the torture he endured: “I was threatened that they would arrest the rest of the family. I decided to kill myself so that at least Navid could get out of this predicament alive. I was in a coma for three days at Namazi Hospital and no one heard my voice. Then during torture they would pull plastic over my head. They beat me with whips and chains, and for hours they would beat the soles of my feet with batons and force me to walk. They threatened me that they would arrest my mother and sister.”

Vahid Afkari explained: “The victim’s family denied any acquaintance with us from the beginning. I told the judge if anyone was a witness, summon them to testify. If my phone signals had coverage in the area of the murder, or if a camera recorded me, show it. If any evidence was found from me or our house, show it. But without a doubt, such evidence did not exist because we were innocent. The judge named Mehrdad Tahmaeton only looked at us. I said I have witnesses that show I was elsewhere at the time of the murder and you kept me innocent in prison for two years. When I said these things, the judge only laughed and mocked and asked if I accept the charges or not. I wanted journalists and media to be in the court but the judge opposed it.”

In the audio file released from Navid Afkari, he also described his charges as “moharebeh, corruption on earth, and forming a group opposed to the system” and says: “They say you and your brother are members of a group opposed to the system. You were present in the riots of 1396 and 1397 in Shiraz, you insulted the leader. You killed security forces. By God, we are innocent. There is no legal reason or evidence in this case. Whatever exists is written under torture. To convict us, they have also presented several fabricated documents and lies.”

In recent days, social media users have called for the release of the Afkari brothers with several hashtags. #DontExecuteNavid, #DontKillNavid, #DontExecute, #AfkariBrothers, and #FreeThm are hashtags that have become Twitter’s top trend in recent days by Twitter users.

Mehdi Hajati, political activist and member of Shiraz City Council, wrote on his personal Twitter that “for nearly eight months I have been with Habib Afkari of the Afkari brothers in one room. Three brothers are kept in three separate wards by order of security officials. You are fighting shadows, and we have nothing to lose but Iran, not even our lives. #DontExecuteNavid.”

Pouria Nouri also wrote on his personal Twitter that “my brother Kesra Nouri, who is with one of the Afkari brothers in the security ward of Adel Abad prison in Shiraz. He called from prison and said: Navid Afkari was uplifted by the fact that people heard his call for justice and protested against his death sentence, opening a ray of hope in his heart. #DontExecuteNavid #SaveNavidAfkari”