Lawyer of One of the Defendants in the Ekbatan Case Denied Court Attendance

Babak Paknia, one of the lawyers for the defendants in the "Ekbatan" case, announced that he represents Ali Reza Bermarz Pournak but Judge Salavati has not allowed him to act as a lawyer in part of the case, and no notification has been sent to him. Mr. Paknia wrote on the social media platform "X" that the hearing for the charges against the defendants in the Ekbatan case will take place on Tuesday, February 20, in the 15th branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court; however, he has not received any notification. He stated that since 2018, Judge Salavati has not accepted him in any case, adding, "Because he does not like me, he does not allow my clients to introduce me as their lawyer." Payam Darvishan, another lawyer for the detainees in the "Ekbatan" case, told the Iran Watch website on February 17 that four of the defendants are set to be tried in the Islamic Revolutionary Court under the charge of Moharebeh (waging war against God). Mr. Darvishan explained how security agencies pressure the judges of the Revolutionary Court by linking their reports to sensitive issues such as "the reputation of martyrs and the regime," asserting that "they are the security structure of the country. Therefore, our report cannot be wrong." According to reports, the defendants in this case have been subjected to severe torture during their detention and coerced into confessing against themselves and other defendants. Milad Arman, Alireza Kafayi, Amir Mohammad Khoshghab, Alireza Bermarz Pournak, Mohammad Mahdi Hosseini, Hossein Nemat, Mehdi Imani, and Navid Najaran are accused in this case of "participation in the murder" of a Basij member named "Arman Ali-Vardi." According to the news agency of human rights activists in Iran, HRANA, the case of these individuals has been divided into two parts, one of which has been referred to the 15th branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Judge Abolqasem Salavati, and the other to the 13th branch of the Tehran Criminal Court. Based on the issued indictment, Milad Arman, Mohammad Mahdi Hosseini, and Mehdi Imani are charged with "Moharebeh," while Alireza Kafayi, Amir Mohammad Khoshghab, Alireza Bermarz Pournak, and Hossein Nemat face charges including "participation in intentional murder" and "disturbing public order and tranquility." In early November 2022, during nationwide protests against the killing of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the Guidance Patrol and following the killing of Arman Ali-Vardi in the Ekbatan neighborhood of Tehran, at least 50 young residents of this neighborhood were arrested, among whom indictments were issued for 14 individuals. Protest graffiti in Ekbatan addressed issues of "hunger, poverty, unemployment, and repression." This is the fourth week of the "Black Tuesdays" campaign; the continuation of the hunger strike by political prisoners in protest against the death sentence highlights the existence of "fundamental problems and defects" in the "Ekbatan neighborhood" case; four individuals are being tried on charges of "Moharebeh."