Judiciary News Agency Denies Death Sentence for Founder of Erfan Halqeh

An 'informed source' on Saturday, June 30, stated in an interview with Mizan News Agency, affiliated with the judiciary, that the death sentence for Mohammad Ali Taheri, the founder of 'Erfan Halqeh', has been denied. This source also mentioned that Taheri's sentence has not been issued or communicated to date. Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, Taheri's lawyer, announced on Saturday that a death sentence had been issued for his client 'on charges of corruption on earth' by Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, but added that the court has 'not yet communicated this sentence.' In this context, a judicial official also told Tasnim News Agency regarding the issuance of a death sentence for Mohammad Ali Taheri that the case is still under review and the judge has not entered the sentencing phase. According to Tasnim, this judicial official further stated: 'The claim by the defendant's lawyer regarding the issuance of a death sentence is not true and is denied.' Mohammad Ali Taheri, who established an institution named 'Erfan Halqeh' in 2001 to provide services related to 'Iranian complementary medicine, paranormal therapy, and scimentology', was arrested in 2011. According to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Mr. Taheri was also arrested once before in 2010 and was released after 67 days in solitary confinement. Fars News Agency had previously reported that Mr. Taheri's case regarding the charge of 'corruption on earth' is under review, and three religious authorities have issued a ruling of apostasy against him based on inquiries made by the judiciary. Meanwhile, according to Tasnim News Agency, the court declared the investigations conducted regarding the charge of 'corruption on earth' to be incomplete and sent the case back to the prosecutor's office for further investigation, which ultimately took place after the deficiencies were addressed, and Mr. Taheri's court session regarding this charge was held in early May. According to this report, Mr. Taheri has also been sentenced to five years in prison, a fine of 900 million tomans, and 74 lashes for other charges such as 'insulting sacred beliefs, illegal interference in medical matters, committing forbidden acts and illicit relationships, unauthorized use of scientific titles (doctor and engineer), and the misleading nature of his books and works.'