Ejei: Nazanin Zaghari's Five-Year Prison Sentence Confirmed

The spokesperson of Iran's judiciary announced the confirmation of Nazanin Zaghari's five-year prison sentence, an Iranian-British citizen. Other issues mentioned by the spokesperson include the return of Mehdi Hashemi to prison, the issuance of Babak Zanjani's death sentence, and the arrest of four judges due to financial misconduct. According to a report on Sunday (January 22), Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei announced these news during a press conference with journalists. Ms. Zaghari was sentenced to five years in prison by the Revolutionary Court presided over by Judge Abolqasem Salavati. Following her appeal against this ruling, the appeals court was supposed to review the case of this dual-national citizen, but according to Ejei's statements, the appeals court also upheld the Revolutionary Court's verdict. Since November 23 of this year, she has been on a hunger strike in protest of her solitary confinement and the five-year prison sentence, and after breaking her hunger strike, she was transferred to a general cell in Evin Prison. The judiciary spokesperson had previously described Nazanin Zaghari's charges as 'security-related.' She was arrested by the IRGC intelligence while leaving Iran on April 15 of this year during a trip for the Nowruz holidays. Although Zaghari was initially transferred to Kerman Prison after her arrest, she was later moved to Tehran where her case was examined. Mehdi Hashemi was 'supposed to return to prison today.' According to Tasnim News Agency, Ejei also responded to another question regarding whether Mehdi Hashemi has returned to prison and whether his request for retrial has been approved by the Supreme Court, stating: 'Mehdi Hashemi's leave has ended, and he was supposed to return to prison today, but I have no information on whether he has returned or not. Regarding the request for retrial, it had not been accepted or rejected until late last week, and the review was ongoing.' Mehdi Hashemi, the son of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, has been serving his 10-year sentence in Evin Prison since August 9 of last year. The spokesperson of the Iranian judiciary also announced the issuance of Babak Zanjani's death sentence. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei stated on Sunday that Zanjani's death sentence has been issued, while the death sentences of two other defendants have been overturned. Babak Zanjani, an Iranian businessman, has been in custody since December 2013. He was sentenced to death by the court for disrupting the country's economic system and was recognized as 'corrupt on earth.' The spokesperson also mentioned the arrest of four judges, several errant employees, and three lawyers. He reported that five judges have been prosecuted over the past week, with four of them arrested. According to Ejei, along with these four judges, 'several errant employees' have also been arrested. He added that 'three accused lawyers, who colluded with the prosecutors, have also been arrested, and their cases are under review.' When asked about the reason for the arrest of these judges, the spokesperson mentioned that 'generally, the issues are financial, and the case is in the preliminary investigation stage in Tehran, and I will announce the details after the verdict is issued.' He did not provide further explanations in this regard. However, Ejei has asked the judges handling these cases not to show any leniency or indulgence towards these individuals, as it does not matter whether the party involved is a judge or a lawyer. Addressing corruption and major embezzlement cases in various institutions is one of the judiciary's challenges, and many political and religious figures have called for a more serious approach from this institution towards this phenomenon.