Lawyer of Ehsan Mazandarani: The Issue of Influence Was Not Raised in My Client's Case

While the IRGC Intelligence claimed that Ehsan Mazandarani, the editor-in-chief of Farhikhtegan newspaper, and three other journalists were "members of a network of influence for Western governments," the lawyer of this imprisoned journalist stated that "neither in the indictment nor in the prosecution has the issue of influence been raised." Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, on Sunday, March 14, in an interview with ILNA news agency, also mentioned that his client's case dates back to 2012 and that "this same case has now been reopened by a new judicial officer, and... ambiguous and fabricated evidence has been added to the charges." According to Mr. Alizadeh Tabatabai, the Ministry of Intelligence withdrew from continuing the investigation of Mr. Mazandarani's case one month after his arrest in 2012, and a year later confirmed his qualification for the position of editor-in-chief of Farhikhtegan newspaper. In the second week of Bahman 1391 (January 2013), about 20 journalists, including Ehsan Mazandarani, were arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence and released after about a month. The lawyer emphasized that after more than three years, "this same case has now been reopened by a new judicial officer, and ambiguous and fabricated evidence has been added to it." He added: "We have now obtained documents to prove that the charges against my client are baseless, and these documents have been submitted to the judicial authority." Mr. Alizadeh Tabatabai stressed: "The case is being reviewed in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court under the presidency of Judge Moghiseh, and despite some controversies, neither in the indictment nor in the prosecution has the issue of influence been raised." Additionally, according to ISNA news agency, he stated: "Our right to sue the media that published insults, defamation, and falsehoods regarding Ehsan Mazandarani and Isa Saharkhiz is reserved." Isa Saharkhiz, Ehsan Mazandarani, Afrin Chitsaz, and Saman Safarzadeh were arrested on November 2. After the arrest of these four journalists, the IRGC announced that it had arrested "members of a network of influence for Western governments." Ebrahim Raisi, the then Attorney General of the country, also referred to these journalists on Wednesday, November 4, as "a network of influence in the media and social networks" and "spies and mercenaries working for Americans." However, on the same day, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, warned that "the word influence should not be played with." In this context, Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, also confirmed that the aim of these arrests was "political settling of scores," and Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran in the Parliament, expressed concern that the aim of these arrests was "to create fear in the expression of journalists before the elections." "Of 30 interrogation sessions, one was related to the case," the lawyer of Ehsan Mazandarani said in another part of his remarks, noting that his client had been interrogated about 30 times during the four months of temporary detention, and according to him, only one interrogation session was related to the case. According to Mr. Alizadeh Tabatabai, the investigator of the case had issued a bail order for his client "in the first month," but did not mention the reason for his client's continued detention despite the issuance of the bail order. On Tuesday, February 1, Mr. Alizadeh Tabatabai stated that despite the opposing opinion of the investigator, based on the opinion of the prosecutor and the head of Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, Isa Saharkhiz and Ehsan Mazandarani have been charged with heavier crimes such as "acting against national security through gathering and conspiracy" and "insulting officials." He had previously reported that the trial of Isa Saharkhiz, which was supposed to be held on Saturday, March 5, has been postponed to another date. Now, Mr. Alizadeh Tabatabai confirmed that Isa Saharkhiz is hospitalized for heart issues and noted that "given his client's physical condition," it is not expected that a trial for addressing his charges will be held by the end of this year. Previously, Mehdi Saharkhiz, the son of Mr. Saharkhiz, reported that his father had "fainted twice" on the evening of Tuesday, March 9, and was transferred to a specialized heart hospital. Regarding Saman Safarzadeh, the website Kalemeh, close to Mir Hossein Mousavi, reported on Saturday, March 5, that he was tried in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court on charges of "propaganda against the regime." However, no report has yet been published regarding the status of Afrin Chitsaz, another imprisoned journalist. "Imprisonment and flogging for the mother of a political prisoner" Meanwhile, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported on Saturday that Simin Ayouzadeh, the mother of Omid Ali Haqshenas, a political prisoner, was sentenced to 91 days in prison and 74 lashes after participating in a gathering at Evin prison and "protesting her son's sentence." According to this report, Ms. Ayouzadeh was arrested on November 21 during a gathering in front of Evin prison along with 17 others, 12 of whom were supporters of Mohammad Ali Taheri, and was released after 9 days on a bail of 50 million tomans. Ms. Ayouzadeh told the International Campaign for Human Rights that she was present at the gathering in protest of her son's sentence, but after her arrest, she was charged with "disrupting public order by participating in an illegal gathering in defense of Mohammad Ali Taheri." She added, "Everyone in the world knows why I gathered that day and I had my son's photo in hand. I do not know Mr. Taheri at all." Omid Ali Haqshenas, a civil and child rights activist, was arrested by Ministry of Intelligence agents on September 4, 2014, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison in the initial court. This political prisoner was released on January 18, 2016, on a bail of 700 million tomans.