Asad Kakeh, Young Protester, Appeared in Court with 'Injured and Tortured' Face

Asad Kakeh, a citizen from Takab and one of the detainees from the nationwide protests of 2022, appeared in court with a 'wounded and tortured' face after being re-arrested. According to human rights sources, this 30-year-old citizen was beaten by government agents after his arrest on July 17 and appeared in court with 'injuries and signs of torture.' The website 'Kurdpa' reported that Asad Kakeh was formally charged on Wednesday, July 18, in Takab court with 'propaganda against the regime' and 'insulting the leadership.' According to this report, he is currently being held in the drug offenses section of Miandoab prison. Asad Kakeh was arrested on March 3, 2023, and after three months in detention in Takab and Urmia, he was released on a bail of three billion tomans. The re-arrest of several detainees from the nationwide 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests continues, while some individuals imprisoned during the 2022 protests remain in uncertainty. Recently, seven imprisoned protesters in Shiban prison in Ahvaz went on a dry hunger strike in protest of their prolonged uncertainty after spending over a year in prison. Javaid Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, described the human rights situation in Iran as a 'bitter reality' and urged the international community not to remain silent in the face of widespread human rights violations in Iran. The song 'Typhus' is an example of a new 'case-building' against Tomaj Salehi; the four charges include 'insulting the sacred.' Human Rights Watch has called for the 'immediate release' of Sharifeh Mohammadi. The conditions of the seven imprisoned protesters in Shiban prison in Ahvaz are 'very concerning' following their hunger strike. Pressure continues on the families of the victims seeking justice; Maryam Mehrabi has gone on hunger strike in prison, and a billion-toman bail has been set for Rana Korkor.