Awarding of the 'Courage Medal of Majid Reza Rahnavard' to Mashallah Karami and Fatemeh Sepahri in Canada

Two human rights organizations awarded the 'Courage Medal of Majid Reza Rahnavard' to Mashallah Karami and Fatemeh Sepahri in Canada, coinciding with the anniversary of the execution of this Iranian protester. This medal was presented during a ceremony by the 'Global Alliance Against Discrimination' and the 'Mahdi Amin Foundation', named after one of the opponents of the Islamic Republic who was killed in Canada two years ago, on Tuesday, December 12. Mashallah Karami is the father of Mohammad Mehdi Karami, a protester executed in Karaj, who is currently imprisoned in Qezel Hesar prison in Alborz province. Fatemeh Sepahri, a political prisoner opposing the Islamic Republic, is also imprisoned in Vakilabad prison in Mashhad. Salman Sima, one of the organizers of the event, wrote on 'X' that several former Iranian political prisoners, some Venezuelan and Cuban human rights activists, and a few parliament representatives and families of children held hostage by Hamas militants attended the ceremony for the awarding of the Majid Reza Rahnavard medal to the two political prisoners in Iran. Michael Parsa, an Ontario government official in Canada, described the handling of Majid Reza Rahnavard's case as a 'sham trial' that lasted 'only 23 days' and emphasized that he did not have access to 'fair trial' and 'chosen lawyer' and was subjected to torture to accept charges. He stated that nevertheless, the officials of the Islamic Republic 'did not see Majid Reza Rahnavard's distress until the last moment' and that this protester 'said he wanted people to be happy.' According to Michael Parsa, the message of this executed protester in Iran is that 'even in the darkest and hardest moments, you should not give the enemies the advantage of feeling they have overcome you.' This Iranian-Canadian government official expressed hope that 'Iran will prevail and democracy will return to Iran.' Additionally, Daniel Bardman, a Canadian journalist, referred to the 'patriotism' of Majid Reza Rahnavard, stating that he was so patriotic that he had tattooed the Lion and Sun emblem on his arm. Asghar Sepahri, the brother of Fatemeh Sepahri, thanked the two organizing organizations on behalf of the family for awarding the Majid Reza Rahnavard medal to these two political prisoners in Iran. In previous days, the 2023 (1402 in the Persian calendar) award from the Canadian International Human Rights Center was given to Manoochehr Bakhtiari, the father of Pouya Bakhtiari, one of the victims of the November 2019 protests, who is currently imprisoned in Chubin prison in Qazvin. On the same Tuesday, Saleh Nikbakht, the lawyer for Mahsa Amini's family, received the prestigious Sakharov Prize on behalf of this family in the European Parliament. Narges Mohammadi, a political prisoner and human rights activist, has also been selected as this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner. Lily Pourzand stated that Narges Mohammadi's Nobel Peace Prize is a result of the efforts and struggles of the people of Iran, with Iranian women at the forefront.