Iran's Supreme Court Confirms Death Sentence for Mohammad Khodrnejad

The Supreme Court of Iran has confirmed the death sentence for Mohammad Khodrnejad, a Sunni cleric detained during the protests two years ago. According to reports from the human rights news agency HRANA and the Kurdish news site Kurdpa, published on Thursday, June 7, Ali Razini, a judge of the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic, upheld the initial death sentence against Khodrnejad. The cleric was arrested two months after the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini while in custody of the morality police, which led to the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests in Iran. He was detained along with his child at his home in the city of Boukan in West Azerbaijan province and has been held in Urmia prison since then. Khodrnejad had spoken shortly before his arrest at the funeral of Asad Rahimi, one of the protesters killed during the events in Boukan. More than 240 clerics have called for the annulment of Khodrnejad's death sentence and his release. The Urmia Revolutionary Court sentenced Khodrnejad to death last autumn on charges of 'corruption on earth', 'acting against national security', and 'propaganda against the regime', along with an additional 16 years in prison. Khodrnejad's relatives have claimed that the ruling was based on 'forced confessions' obtained under 'severe torture' and a report from the government’s Ministry of Intelligence, asserting that his trial was not fair. They stated that the Kurdish cleric lacked legal representation and defended himself in only four brief court sessions. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network reported that Khodrnejad, denying all charges, questioned the Revolutionary Court's jurisdiction to address allegations against a cleric and requested to be tried in a special clerical court. However, he did not have sufficient time to defend himself in any of the four court sessions. Hundreds of Sunni clerics in Iran have written a letter to Mohseni Ejei, the head of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic, emphasizing the lack of justice in Khodrnejad's legal proceedings and calling for his release. Amnesty International also warned two weeks ago about the execution of 15 condemned individuals, including Mohammad Khodrnejad.