Abbas Daris's Lawyer: Family of Deceased Officer Claims He Is Not a Killer

One of the defense lawyers for Abbas Daris commented on the news of the suspension of the death sentence for this imprisoned protestor, emphasizing that even the family of the officer whose murder the judiciary has attributed to him insists that his client is "not a killer" and "is not even willing to accept blood money." Abbas Daris, a protestor from the November 2019 protests and a survivor of the massacre of protestors in the marshes of Mahshahr by government forces, has faced severe consequences. A close source to Abbas Daris previously told Voice of America that his wife suffered a stroke and died upon hearing the news of his death sentence. He has three children who are now left without guardianship. According to the news agency 'Emtidad' on Wednesday, August 4, Mahmoud Behzadi-Rad, one of Abbas Daris's lawyers, stressed that "given the sufficient evidence" indicating that this imprisoned protestor is not a 'mohareb' (enemy of God), his lawyers are hopeful for the annulment of his verdict. After the news of the suspension of Abbas Daris's sentence was published, this lawyer stated that his case "has several fundamental flaws" which his lawyers have "explicitly" pointed out; first, that Abbas Daris "has no private complainant, and the heirs of the deceased officer have also, while officially declaring their consent, believe that 'Abbas Daris is not a killer.'" He also referred to the "initial expert report" from the scene, emphasizing that "the shot was fired from a distance of 25 to 40 meters," while the third expert report stated that "the shot was fired from a distance of 120 meters." Mahmoud Behzadi-Rad emphasized that the distance from where Abbas Daris was present to the location where authorities claim the police officer was killed is "about 170 meters." This lawyer stated that the judiciary has not accepted the request of Abbas Daris's lawyers for the formation of a five-member committee, saying that "the case has gone to Branch 39 of the Supreme Court and has been confirmed," but his lawyers were able to obtain a "stay of execution" order through a "request for retrial" so that his case could be reviewed. Mr. Behzadi-Rad mentioned that he has spoken with the head of the court branch in the Supreme Court and added: "We are supposed to provide the notarized consent documents of the heirs of the deceased officer" and "there is sufficient evidence in the case file indicating that my client is not a mohareb." Mr. Behzadi-Rad stated that the family of the deceased has "collected testimonies from trusted individuals in their local Hosseiniyeh" indicating that "they are even unwilling to accept blood money," and expressed hope that within one to two months, my client's verdict will be overturned and he will return to his family. In addition to Mahmoud Behzadi-Rad, Mostafa Nili and Fereshteh Tabaniyan are also representing Abbas Daris.