Court Delayed 'For Unknown Reasons'; Warning About Possible Broadcast of 'Forced Confessions' of Mashallah Karami

A human rights group stated that the court for Mashallah Karami was not held 'for unknown reasons' and announced that the father of the executed protester Mohammad Mehdi Karami remains in an 'indeterminate situation' in prison. The Committee for the Follow-up of the Status of Detainees reported on Sunday, December 10, that it received reports indicating that the court for Mashallah Karami, which was supposed to be held on December 5, was not convened 'for unknown reasons' and 'he remains in an indeterminate situation in prison.' Sources familiar with the committee have indicated that Iranian judicial authorities have attributed charges such as 'acting against national security,' 'fraud,' and 'exploitation of people's emotions' to Mashallah Karami. According to this report, 'at least 11 other individuals' were detained in this case, all of whom have been released on bail. The names of those detained in this case are not mentioned in the report. The Committee for the Follow-up of the Status of Detainees has stated that it has learned that 'the imposition of charges with titles such as exploitation of people's emotions and fraud has been accompanied by heavy pressures on him to accept these charges, and there is a possibility that a film of his forced confessions may also be broadcast in the future.' This human rights group emphasized that 'such case fabrications, which have a previous history, are aimed at discrediting the faces and families of the plaintiffs and undermining public trust in these individuals.' Mashallah Karami was arrested on August 22, 2023, by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence at his home in Karaj and transferred to the detention center of the Intelligence Department of this city. According to this report, after about 'two and a half months of solitary confinement,' he was transferred to Ward 15 of Ghezal Hesar Prison on October 28. Previous reports indicate that due to pressures from government forces, Mashallah Karami's wife and other son were forced to leave their home in November after repeated raids by agents and went to an unknown location. Helga Limburg, a member of the German Parliament from the Green Party, who had taken on the political sponsorship of Mohammad Mehdi Karami, announced that she has also accepted the political sponsorship of his father and lawyer. Limburg stated in an interview with the Persian section of Voice of America on October 20 that 'we all saw those brave images of Mehdi Karami's parents after his burial. They went to the grave of another prisoner killed by the Islamic Republic regime because no one was at their grave. They went to that grave, paid their respects, and left a sign that says no one will be alone in this world or the next.' Previously, a member of the families of plaintiffs warned about the 'case fabrication' against Mashallah Karami and his lawyer Amir Hossein Koohkan, stating that the prosecutor of Karaj 'has announced that until they do not confess, they must remain in solitary confinement.'