A Case with 'Fundamental and Numerous Flaws'; Court Session for Defendants in the 'Ekbatān Town' Case Held

The court session for eight defendants in the case known as 'Ekbatān Town' was held on Saturday, October 7, in Branch 13 of the Tehran Criminal Court. The charges against Milad Armon, Alireza Kafai, Amir Mohammad Khosh-eqbal, Alireza Barmarz Poornak, Mohammad Mahdi Hosseini, Hossein Naimati, Mehdi Imani, and Navid Najaran include 'participation in murder', 'conspiracy against national security', and 'moharebeh' (waging war against God). Milad Armon, Alireza Kafai, and Mohammad Mahdi Hosseini have been accused of 'moharebeh with the use of cold weapons' and are at risk of receiving the death penalty. This case emerged during the protests last year, in Aban 1401 (November 2022), following the announcement of the death of a Basij member named Arman Ali-Vardi in Ekbatān Town, Tehran. Initially, the case had 14 defendants, but eventually, an indictment was issued for 8. Previously, the legal consulting website 'Dadban' reported, citing the defendants' lawyers, that there are 'fundamental and numerous flaws' in this case. Milad Armon, the first defendant, has denied the charge of moharebeh and explicitly stated that he has never possessed any weapon, whether cold or hot. This 25-year-old defendant had also denied the accusation of holding a knife and attacking the victim in a media interview published in the Islamic Republic's media while facing Hossein Rahimi, the police chief of Tehran province. Dadban reported separately that Alireza Barmarz Poornak, another defendant in this case, was not present in the images related to the beating of the killed Basij member. According to reports, the defendants in this case have faced severe torture during detention and have been forced to confess against themselves and other defendants. The case has been divided into two parts, with one section referred to Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolqasem Salavati, and the other part sent to Branch 13 of the Tehran Criminal Court. Abolqasem Salavati, known as 'Judge Salavati', is famous for issuing heavy sentences, including death sentences for protesters, and is on the U.S. sanctions list. The defendants in the 'Ekbatān Town' case were transferred from Rajai-Shahr prison in Karaj to Ghezal Hesar prison in Karaj in Mordad (July) of this year. The next court session for the defendants in the 'Ekbatān Town' case is scheduled for Sunday, October 8.