Death Sentences for 6 Protesters; Reactions: The Children of Ekbatan on the List of Government Killings

Social media users are reacting to the issuance of death sentences for six protesters by the judiciary of the Islamic Republic with the hashtag "Children of Ekbatan," calling for attention to their situation. The 13th branch of the Tehran Criminal Court sentenced Milad Armon, Alireza Kafayi, Amir Mohammad Khushqbal, Navid Najaran, Hossein Naimati, and Alireza Barmarzpournak, six detained protesters in the case known as "Children of Ekbatan," to death in connection with the killing of a Basij member named Arman Ali-Vardi. This case was returned to court for what was called "remedying deficiencies and errors" at the beginning of this year and was sent back to the 13th branch of the Tehran Criminal Court and the 15th branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court. Soroush Leshkar, a protest singer known as "Nobody," wrote that "the Children of Ekbatan are on the waiting list for execution by the Islamic Republic" in "occupied Iran." Reza Shafaghi, one of the lawyers for the defendants, emphasized that there are no witnesses in this case: "We were not even a witness alongside the Children of Ekbatan, let alone a defense lawyer." Shahryar Shams, a student and civil activist in Iran, called for attention to the death penalty verdict for these protesters, writing on social media on Tuesday, November 29, "I wish we could write about the Children of Ekbatan. Six of these children are under a death sentence. Nothing is more important than human life." Journalist Moloud Hajizadeh also emphasized that they have no voice, stating: "Let us be the voice of those who have no voice, those whose headlines are not at the disposal of the media from morning till night, let us be the voice of the Children of Ekbatan." Arash Sadeghi, a human rights activist, reminded that "at least more than 50 young residents of Ekbatan town" were arrested in connection with the killing of a Basij member, and an indictment was issued for 14 of them. Nasser Karami, an environmental researcher and civil activist, reacted to the death sentence for these six young protesters by republishing a poem, writing: "Our existence is like a cage full of birds, filled with the cries of captivity ... and we have not been saved, like a cuckoo, we lament for justice and it is not. We await light and now, there is darkness." Ebrahim Allahbakhshi, a human rights activist, also published images of Alireza Barmarzpournak's life, who was sentenced to death on charges of "participating in intentional murder, disturbing public order, intentional assault, and illegal detention." He emphasized that "the lives of the Children of Ekbatan are in danger." Khashayar Mostafavi, a filmmaker, published an image of graffiti on a wall titled "Speak of the Children of Ekbatan" and said: "The lives of the Children of Ekbatan are in danger." A group of families seeking justice, including Fatemeh Heydari, sister of Javad Heydari, a protester killed in Qazvin during the suppression of the nationwide protests of 1401, also referred to the danger to the lives of these six protesters sentenced to death. Furthermore, Farhad Fathi, a journalist, warned about the life-threatening situation for the protesters sentenced to death in the Children of Ekbatan case, writing: "As long as protests and political actions do not shift from a negative to a positive status and we remain engaged with fake news and its distractions instead of advancing specific and documented programs, we will not make any progress." He emphasized that "one of the most important of these programs is supporting and following up on the situation of political prisoners," adding: "Following up on the situation and supporting political prisoners is the same path and demand of dear Kianoush Sanjari. Today, if we want to keep Kianoush's path alive, nothing would make him happier than supporting the Children of Ekbatan." Saeed Dehghan, a lawyer, previously pointed out legal deficiencies in the death sentences issued for the six protesters in the Children of Ekbatan case in an interview with Voice of America.