Four Defendants in the 'Ekbatana Town' Case Remain Indefinitely Detained

Four defendants in the case known as 'Ekbatana Town' are still being held in the detention center of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps at Evin Prison without any clear legal status. According to the news agency 'Hana', the news organization of human rights activists in Iran, Milad Armon, Mohammad Mahdi Hosseini, Mehdi Eimani, and Navid Najaran, the four defendants in this case, are being held in the section known as 2-A of Evin Prison. Based on information received by Hana, these four defendants, who were transferred from Ghezelsar Prison in Karaj to the IRGC detention center, known as section 2-A of Evin Prison on May 1, recently had a brief phone call with their families. They have been in detention and uncertainty for over a year, and the status of their cases is unclear. Recently, Mohammad Hossein Aghasi, a lawyer for one of the detainees, stated on his social media account in response to a question about their transfer to the mentioned detention center that they are completing the investigations requested by the criminal court. In early November 2022, during nationwide protests following the killing of a Basij force member named Arman Ali Vardi in Ekbatana Town, more than 50 young residents of Ekbatana Town were arrested by security forces, and indictments were issued for 14 of them. In May of last year, the spokesperson for the judiciary announced charges of 'moharebeh through the use of cold weapons and actions against national security' for three of the defendants in the Arman Ali Vardi case. According to the issued indictment, these citizens are accused of charges including 'moharebeh', 'participation in intentional murder', and 'disruption of public order and tranquility'. In late October of last year, after four court sessions, the court did not send their case for investigation to the prosecutor's office, and Branch 13 of the Tehran Criminal Court intervened to expedite the proceedings and determine the status of the defendants. Another part of these citizens' case has been referred to Branch 15 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Judge Abolqasem Salavati. Among these eight defendants, Hossein Naimati, Alireza Barmarzpournak, Alireza Kafayi, and Amir Mohammad Khoshghab were released on bail from Ghezelsar Prison last February. Earlier, Payam Darvishan, a lawyer, announced that Milad Armon, Mohammad Mahdi Hosseini, Mehdi Eimani, and Navid Najaran are in prison on charges of 'moharebeh'. In April, the case known as 'Ekbatana Town' was returned to the prosecutor's office due to what was described as the removal of a 'confidential defect'. The trial of Sharifeh Mohammadi, a jailed labor activist, will be held on June 10. Zahra Dadras, a civil activist sentenced to imprisonment, reported pressure and torture during her detention. The continuation of uncertainty for a number of detainees and political defendants in Iran persists. The 'violent' arrest of a member of the families of the bereaved in Boukan. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network reports that there is no information available about four detained citizens in Boukan and Marivan. The charges against Aida Shakerimi for trial include encouraging corruption and prostitution and disobedience to officials.