Appeal from Relatives of Mojahid Korkor and Reza Rasayi: Their Lives Are in Danger; Raise Their Voices to the World

Relatives of Mojahid Korkor and Reza Rasayi, two protesters at risk of execution, have urged the people of Iran to raise the "innocence" of these two prisoners to the world and warned that their lives are in danger "at any moment." Negar Korkor, Mojahid Korkor's sister, on Wednesday, January 17, published several messages on social media platform X, calling on the Iranian people to bring the voices of the families of Reza Rasayi and Mojahid Korkor "to the ears of the world" and warned: "My brothers' lives are in danger." Reza (Gholam-Reza) Rasayi, a protester following the "Ahl-e Haq" (Yarsan) faith in the city of Shahne, Kermanshah province, is facing a murder charge related to the killing of a police officer after participating in the protests of November 2022 and has been sentenced to "qisas" (retribution). Mojahid Korkor is a citizen from Izeh, who the Iranian authorities accuse of involvement in the shooting of citizens during the protests on November 25, 2022; an allegation repeatedly denied by the victims of that incident, including the family of Kian Pirfalak. Negar Korkor emphasized that "the Islamic Republic wants to take my loved ones' lives with false accusations." She stressed that Reza Rasayi's case is also "full of flaws and Mojahid's case is full of deficiencies." The sister of this death-row prisoner also stated that Mojahid Korkor has been in solitary confinement since his arrest, and there is no information available about his condition, warning that something could happen to her brother at any moment. In a joint statement published by Negar Korkor and Hana, a relative of Reza Rasayi, they wrote: "We, the families of Reza Rasayi and Mojahid Korkor, die once every sunrise, and until we have contact with our brothers, we experience death thousands of times." They emphasized: "We request the honorable people of Iran to be the voice of the innocence of our imprisoned brothers." Concerns for Mojahid Korkor and Reza Rasayi have increased with the confirmation of their death sentences by the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic and the transfer of their cases to execution departments. Human rights activists and organizations have previously warned about the imminent execution of these two prisoners and called on the international community to act to stop the executions of protesters in Iran. Several gatherings have been held outside Iran, including in London, Brussels, and Berlin, to support these two political prisoners detained during the crackdown on the nationwide protests of 2022. Abram Paley, Deputy Special Envoy for Iran at the U.S. State Department, has previously called for the release of "all prisoners" who are "unjustly imprisoned in Iran." He also emphasized: "No one should be behind bars for exercising their human rights and enjoying fundamental freedoms." This U.S. official condemned the issuance of death sentences for political prisoners in Iran, stating: "The Iranian regime continues to use false accusations, coerced confessions, and unfair trials to silence political opponents and peaceful protesters."