Continued Imprisonment of Mahmoud Mehrabi Despite Acquittal from Corruption Charges

While Mahmoud Mehrabi's lawyer, a political prisoner sentenced to death whose ruling was previously overturned, announced his acquittal from the charge of 'corruption on earth' in a parallel court handling this case, the sister of this prisoner states that he remains deprived of freedom. According to Babak Farsani, the lawyer, on Wednesday, November 30, he wrote on social media platform X: 'My client Mahmoud Mehrabi has been acquitted of the charge of corruption on earth by the ruling issued from the Revolutionary Court of Isfahan as a parallel branch.' Mr. Farsani stated, 'According to this ruling, the consideration of other charges against Mahmoud Mehrabi has been deemed within the jurisdiction of the second criminal court and the Revolutionary Court located in Mobarakeh County.' Meanwhile, Mahaan (Hajar) Mehrabi, the sister of this political prisoner, wrote on X: 'My brother Mahmoud Mehrabi has been acquitted of the heavy charge of corruption on earth, but he is still deprived of freedom.' According to Ms. Mehrabi, 'Someone who is innocent does not belong behind bars. All the accusations against him are nothing but a shadow of the truth.' Mahmoud Mehrabi's sister emphasized that 'freedom is my brother's right' and 'freedom of expression is the right of every free-thinking person, and this right must be restored to him.' Iranian judicial authorities had accused Mahmoud Mehrabi of publishing content related to what they called 'training in the use of homemade weapons, incitement to destroy public property, provoking people to war and slaughter, and insulting sacred beliefs' during the nationwide protests of 2021. Previously, a group of United Nations experts, including Javaid Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Jill Edwards, the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and Morris Tidball-Binz, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, issued a statement calling for the immediate cancellation of Mahmoud Mehrabi's death sentence and urged the Iranian government to stop issuing death sentences against individuals for expressing their opinions.