Lawyer for the Amiri Family: The 'Mahsa Amini' Case Remains Unaddressed in the Prosecutor's Office

The lawyer for Mahsa Amini's family has announced in the latest update regarding the case of her death while in custody of the morality police in 2022 that the case is still pending in the prosecutor's office and no court has been established for it. According to Iranian media, Saleh Nikbakht emphasized that the trial for Mahsa Amini and other protesters from 2022 should have been held publicly, but the trials for those arrested during the events of that year, facing charges such as moharebeh (waging war against God) and ifsad fil-arz (corruption on earth), were conducted in secret, which diminished the impact of the 'general amnesty' in the public's perception. Nikbakht stated that the Mahsa Amini case remains in the prosecutor's office, requested investigations have not yet been conducted, and no court has been established for this case so far. In a conversation with the online newspaper 'Fraz' in January 2023, Nikbakht mentioned that they have investigated the officers inside the van carrying Mahsa, but the plaintiffs were not allowed to be present or ask questions. The lawyer for Mahsa Amini's case, whose death sparked nationwide protests in Iran over the past two years, stated that copies of the medical reports from Kasra Hospital have not been provided to Mahsa's family so they can consult with trusted doctors. Previously, the lawyer had also mentioned that the forensic medicine intended to attribute Mahsa's death to the poor functioning of thyroid medication or the low quality of the pills consumed, and referring to 'blood traces on Mahsa's back down to her skull and ear,' requested that impartial and trusted doctors be present to examine the evidence. Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the then Attorney General of the country, stated on January 4, 2023, regarding the forensic response to the Amini family's complaint that forensic medicine had announced its 'comprehensive and complete expert opinions,' but the Amini family had again 'filed a complaint against the medical system,' which has been referred for 'expertise' to a medical board that has not yet 'announced its final opinion.' Nationwide protests in Iran began after Mahsa Amini's death while in police custody. During the crackdown on these protests by the Islamic Republic's security forces, at least 525 people, including 71 children and adolescents under 18, have been killed since September 26. Saeed Dehghan, a lawyer, stated that pressure on Saleh Nikbakht contradicts the laws of the Islamic Republic itself. The full text of Mahsa Amini's mother's message at the Sakharov Prize award ceremony, the U.S. State Department report: Human rights conditions in Iran worsened in 2023, interrogation of Saleh Nikbakht at Tehran airport; agents confiscated the Sakharov Prize and this lawyer's passport, Saleh Nikbakht was sentenced to one year in prison and additional penalties, the second trial of Mahsa Amini's family lawyer was held; Saleh Nikbakht: A commission of 'trusted doctors' should be formed.