Masoud Setayesh, spokesman for the judiciary, announced that the court session for the defendants in the case known as 'Ekbatan Town' will be held on October 7 in Branch 13 of the Tehran Criminal Court. He identified the defendants as eight individuals, charging them with participation in murder, conspiracy against national security, and moharebeh (waging war against God). The eight defendants are Milad Arman, Alireza Kafayi, Amir Mohammad Khushqbal, Alireza Barmarz Poornak, Seyyed Mohammad Mahdi Hosseini, Hossein Naimati, Mehdi Imani, and Navid Najaran, who were transferred from Rajai Shahr Prison to Qazalhasar Prison in Karaj on July 31. In early November 2022, during nationwide protests following the killing of a Basij force member named 'Arman Ali-Vardi' in Ekbatan Town, at least 50 young residents of Ekbatan were arrested by security forces, with indictments issued for 14 of them while the others were released. After the death of 'Arman Ali-Vardi', police and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intensified arrests in Ekbatan, leading the judiciary to issue indictments for eight individuals in this case. Three of these defendants, Milad Arman, Mehdi Hosseini, and Alireza Kafayi, are charged with moharebeh for allegedly killing the Basij member, which could result in the death penalty. The legal website Dadban reported in June 2023, citing the defendants' lawyers, that the case has 'numerous fundamental flaws.' According to this site, the charge of moharebeh against the defendants is questionable, especially since Milad Arman has repeatedly stated that he never possessed any weapons, cold or hot. In a confrontation with Hossein Rahimi, the police chief of Tehran Province, he clearly stated that he never held a knife and explicitly denied Rahimi's insistence that he had a knife and attacked the deceased Basij member. Previously, an informed source told the committee monitoring the situation of detainees that all detainees in this case had been subjected to severe torture and were sometimes forced to confess against themselves and others.
Court Session for Defendants in the Case Known as 'Ekbatan Town' to Be Held on October 7
The court session for eight defendants in the 'Ekbatan Town' case will take place on October 7, with charges including murder and moharebeh. The case follows the arrest of over 50 residents during protests after the death of a Basij member. Concerns have been raised about the legitimacy of the charges and the treatment of detainees.
👥 Key Players
⚡ Actions
📰 What Happened
Eight defendants charged with murder and conspiracy in Ekbatan Town court session on October 7.
- Tehran Criminal Court indict Milad Arman, Alireza Kafayi, Amir Mohammad Khushqbal, Alireza Barmarz Poornak, Seyyed Mohammad Mahdi Hosseini, Hossein Naimati, Mehdi Imani, Navid Najaran
- Masoud Setayesh announce court session
- security forces arrest 50 young residents of Ekbatan
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
The indictment of these defendants underscores the Iranian government's harsh response to dissent.
📝 Key Evidence
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →
Translation confidence: 85%