Judiciary Spokesman: Possibility of Pardon for Soheil Arabi Not Currently Considered

Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesman for the judiciary, announced on Tuesday, December 1, that the possibility of pardoning Soheil Arabi is not currently on the table. According to the state news agency IRNA, this judicial official of Iran, responding to a question from a journalist regarding the possibility of a pardon for Soheil Arabi, added: "Currently, pardon is not on the agenda, and his sentence has been issued as a corrupter on earth." Nevertheless, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei indicated that a request for retrial has been made regarding Arabi's death sentence, which will be re-examined. Earlier reports indicated that Mr. Arabi's death sentence had been confirmed by Branch 41 of the Supreme Court, presided over by Ali Razini. Soheil Arabi was sentenced to death on August 30 in Branch 76 of the Tehran Criminal Court, presided over by Judge Siamak Modir Khorasani. Nasrin Naeimi, Soheil Arabi's wife, expressed hope that this sentence would be overturned during the retrial process in an interview with Radio Farda following the announcement of the confirmation of his death sentence. According to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Mr. Arabi had "eight Facebook pages under different names," and due to his writings on those pages, he has been accused of several charges, including "insulting the Imams and the Prophet." Soheil Arabi and his lawyer have denied the accusation of insulting the Prophet. According to this report, Soheil Arabi has repeatedly stated in court that he wrote these materials "under inappropriate conditions" and is "regretful," but "without regard to these statements," three judges sentenced him to death while two others issued prison sentences. Soheil Arabi, 30 years old, married, and the father of a five-year-old child, was arrested last November by agents of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards along with his wife. Nasrin Naeimi was released a few hours later. According to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Mr. Arabi is also facing two other cases due to his writings on Facebook, for which the sentences have been finalized. According to this report, he was fined 500,000 tomans and sentenced to 30 lashes for insulting Ahmad Jannati, the Secretary of the Guardian Council, and Gholamali Haddad Adel, a representative from Tehran in the parliament, through his writings on Facebook, and this sentence was confirmed on appeal. He was also sentenced to three years in prison for insulting Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, and "propaganda against the regime" in the Islamic Revolutionary Court, which was also confirmed on appeal. "Goncheh Ghavami had two charges of propaganda against the regime and security issues," the judiciary spokesman said on Tuesday regarding Goncheh Ghavami's case, who holds dual Iranian-British citizenship. "This individual had two charges of propaganda against the regime and security issues, and regarding propaganda against the regime, the prosecution issued a decision to dismiss the case due to the lack of evidence for the prosecution." The Deputy Chief of the Judiciary, referring to the prosecutor's objection to the dismissal of Ms. Ghavami's case, added: "The objection went to court, and the court accepted that this case should be re-examined." He added: "If the charges are related to security and espionage issues, it is not mandatory for the temporary detention order to remain until the end." Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei noted: "Many cases occur where the primary court issues a verdict, and until it goes to the appellate court, the individual can be released on bail." He expressed ignorance about whether a verdict has been issued for Goncheh Ghavami's case. Previously, Sousan Moshtaqian, Goncheh Ghavami's mother, told Radio Farda on December 2 that she had been released on a 100 million toman bail until the appellate court's ruling was issued. According to this report, Ms. Ghavami was sentenced to one year in prison and two years of travel ban for propaganda against the regime, and her sentence has also been communicated. Goncheh Ghavami intended to go to Azadi Stadium in Tehran to watch the World Volleyball Championship matches on June 30 but was arrested for protesting against the prohibition of women entering the stadium and was released a few hours later. A few days later, when she attempted to retrieve her personal belongings, she was arrested again. According to the state news agency IRNA, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei also discussed the latest status of the case of Saeed Mortazavi, the former Tehran prosecutor, stating: "The case is under investigation, and he has been interrogated, but an indictment has not yet been issued." Iranian media reported that three lawyers representing the plaintiffs in the "Social Security Organization violations" case announced on December 3 that a bail of two billion tomans had been issued for Saeed Mortazavi, the former head of the Social Security Organization, due to charges such as "breach of trust, embezzlement, and illegal appropriation of state property." The case of Mohammad Reza Rahimi, the first vice president of Iran, was also among the other questions from journalists, to which the judiciary spokesman responded: "This individual has been convicted in court, and for the review of the objection, his case has gone to the Supreme Court." Previously, Mohammad Reza Rahimi's defense lawyer confirmed the issuance of a prison sentence and monetary penalty for his client but did not provide details about it. In this context, Rahimi's defense lawyer denied the news of his "14-year conviction."