Farshad Dastmardi Faces New Charges After Torture in Detention

Reports indicate that one of the protesters from 2022, who was "tortured by the IRGC intelligence agents" during previous detentions, has faced new "case fabrication" after being sentenced to over three years and seven months in prison by the criminal court of Dehdasht County. According to the Political Prisoners' Freedom Committee, Branch 101 of the Dehdasht Criminal Court in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province sentenced Farshad Dastmardi, a detainee from the nationwide protests of 2022, to "three years, seven months, and 16 days of imprisonment." The prison sentence for this protester was issued on charges of "propaganda against the regime aimed at disturbing public opinion and national security" and "without holding a trial." The report, a copy of which was sent to Voice of America, states that Farshad Dastmardi was first arrested by IRGC intelligence agents in Dehdasht and transferred to the Yasuj intelligence detention center, where he was released after "130 days of torture" on a bail of 1.5 billion tomans. According to the report and a source familiar with the matter, government agents arrested this protester "with the accompaniment of 10 special unit vehicles" and used "a leg shackles and a sack over his head" during the arrest, beating him to the point of unconsciousness, causing him to faint three times. The report also states that in the IRGC detention center, he was "prevented from sleeping for several days through torture and cold water" and was given "soda" that caused him to "experience memory loss" and was regularly administered various medications such as Tracobine in coordination with the prison doctor. The Political Prisoners' Freedom Committee also announced that Dastmardi's second arrest occurred before the anniversary of the killing of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, and "government agents placed a gun to his mother's head to force her to reveal his whereabouts." The report mentions that "in late August 2023," Farshad Dastmardi "disappeared," and "after six months," it became clear that he had been detained by the IRGC and subjected to various forms of torture, including "medical torture" that led to "nightmares, memory loss, and distraction." This human rights organization reported that the sentence of over three years and seven months for Farshad Dastmardi was issued in an "absentia trial," and despite being released from Yasuj prison on February 1 with a bail of two billion tomans and after an eight-day hunger strike, new "case fabrication" has begun against him. The Political Prisoners' Freedom Committee stated that "new case fabrication for Farshad Dastmardi occurred on January 2, 2024." According to the report, due to previous torture, Farshad Dastmardi's health condition is "unsatisfactory both mentally and physically." In the absence of a free media environment in Iran, it is not possible for Voice of America to verify these reports accurately and independently; however, case fabrication against political prisoners and detained protesters has been reported multiple times before. For instance, Shakila Monfared, a constitutionalist political prisoner in Evin, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for the third time in a case that was formed while she was serving her sentence in prison. Also see: Exclusive; The sentence of Shakila Monfared's last case was reduced to 12 months on appeal. Mostafa Ramazani announced a hunger strike in protest against the death sentence of Shahrivar Bayat: Whether in prison or on the street, we stand until the end. Zia Nabavi and Hasti Amiri, student activists, have been summoned again to serve their prison sentences. Saeed Madani has been transferred from Evin prison to Damavand; the lawyer stated: "This is against prison regulations." Evin prison officials prevented the transfer of Sediqeh Voseqi to the hospital despite emergency doctors' orders. The Human Rights Defenders Center reported the issuance of a death sentence for another detainee from the 2022 protests.