Indictment Issued for Khaled Pirzadeh; Informed Source: He May Be Tried Next Week

An informed source told Voice of America that an indictment has been issued for Khaled Pirzadeh, a political prisoner, and his case has been sent for trial. The source informed the Persian section of Voice of America on Tuesday, December 21, that Khaled Pirzadeh announced this news 'in a phone call' and stated that 'after the interrogation, his indictment was issued' and the case 'has been sent to Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court for his trial.' According to statements from this source close to Khaled Pirzadeh, this political prisoner said he is 'waiting to possibly be tried by next week.' The informed source noted that Khaled Pirzadeh emphasized in this call, 'Let us not forget against forgetfulness, we must be a voice.' Khaled Pirzadeh's interrogation session was held on Tuesday, December 6. An informed source had previously told Voice of America that this constitutional activist appeared in court with his eyelids sewn shut in protest against the pressures that the Islamic Republic officials are putting on his family. According to previous reports, during the interrogation session, the charge of 'spreading falsehoods' was removed from Khaled Pirzadeh's case, but regarding the charge of 'illegitimate acquisition of property,' 'confessions were obtained from him under duress,' which relates to accounts that friends have helped him with for treatment, and in this account, which belongs to his wife, there is also the amount for the mortgage of the house. Khaled (Kushan) Pirzadeh, a former bodybuilding champion of Iran, was arrested by government forces in June 2019. He was sentenced to seven years in prison in February of the same year by Branch 28 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by 'Mohammad Mogheiseh,' on charges of 'conspiracy and collusion' and 'insulting the leadership.' This athlete, who won third place in the 'World Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation' competition in Singapore in 2020, went on hunger strikes multiple times during his imprisonment and sewed his eyelid shut in January 2022 in protest of his situation. This political prisoner was released from prison in February 2023 while he was unable to walk and his physical condition was reported to be severe due to spinal injuries from broken vertebrae and anxiety disorders. After his release, he regained a significant portion of his health with continuous access to medical services. Khaled Pirzadeh, along with several other political activists inside and outside of prison in Iran, issued a joint message before the Nowruz holiday this year, stating that the 'current dismal situation' of Iranians is the 'result of thoughts, methods, and goals' that have emerged 'with the 1979 revolution and the deviation of constitutionalism, in the battle between constitutionalists and projectists.'