Baqaei's Lawyer: We Are Seeking Justice Through International Forums

Hamid Baqaei's lawyer announced that his client's family, "after complete despair from all domestic legal authorities," is "seeking to file a request with international forums for his rights." Mehran Abdollahpour, in an interview with the government website Bahar on Saturday, April 6, also stated that Mr. Baqaei's hunger strike "after 24 days of fasting and continuing to refuse water, is very serious and dangerous." He also reported that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has requested an end to Hamid Baqaei's hunger strike, but his client has stated that he is "very determined in his decision." Abdollahpour said, "As I have heard, Mr. Hamid Baqaei's family, after complete despair from all legal authorities, is seeking to file a request with international forums for his rights." Hamid Baqaei, who has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for "embezzlement" and "misappropriation of public funds," was arrested on March 13, 2018, to serve his sentence and was transferred to prison. According to his supporters, he has been on a hunger strike since that time. Meanwhile, Mr. Baqaei, in a phone message from prison, which was published on the Bahar government website, emphasized the continuation of his hunger strike and called the judiciary officials "criminals against humanity," stating that "they must answer. They should not think they can do whatever they want." Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, Ahmadinejad's chief of staff during his presidency, was also arrested two days after he burned Baqaei's verdict in front of the British embassy in Tehran. Ahmadinejad's office has accused the judiciary officials of "intending to take the lives" of Hamid Baqaei and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei by "trampling all legal and even human standards." After the arrest of Hamid Baqaei and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, websites close to Ahmadinejad published the texts of two previous letters he had addressed to the Supreme Leader, in which he severely criticized the country's situation and called for reforms in the structure of some institutions, including the Guardian Council and the judiciary, the resolution of parallel institutions, the establishment of a constitutional court, and the withdrawal of armed forces from political affairs and economic activities. One of the charges against Mr. Baqaei is "embezzlement" of three million 766 thousand euros and 590 thousand dollars from funds delivered to him by the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. However, Mr. Baqaei has stated that the three million 766 thousand euros said to have been delivered to him was a "gift" from the commander of the Quds Force to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for "social and cultural activities," and Qassem Soleimani announced this at the time of the money's delivery.