Lawyer of Rouh-al-Amini Family Reports Issuance of Arrest Warrant for Saeed Mortazavi

The lawyer representing the family of Mohsen Rouh-al-Amini announced the issuance of an arrest warrant for Saeed Mortazavi, the former Tehran prosecutor, on charges of complicity in the murder of Mohsen Rouh-al-Amini at the Kahrizak detention center. Mir Majid Taheri stated in an interview with ISNA news agency: "Today (Saturday), when I inquired about the enforcement of sentences, I was informed that an arrest warrant for Saeed Mortazavi, the then prosecutor of Tehran, has been issued for the enforcement of a two-year prison sentence for complicity in murder." Abdolhossein Rouh-al-Amini, the father of Mohsen Rouh-al-Amini, one of the victims of the 2009 protests who died in Kahrizak detention center, had previously announced that the prison sentence for Saeed Mortazavi was communicated for execution last Wednesday. Mohsen Rouh-al-Amini was arrested on July 9, 2009, during the protests against the announced results of that year's presidential election and was transferred to Kahrizak detention center, where he later died from severe injuries sustained from beatings. In addition to Mohsen Rouh-al-Amini, Mohammad Kamrani and Amir Javadi-Far also died in Kahrizak, while two others, Ramin Ghahramani and Ahmad Najati Kargar, died after their release due to health complications. In this case, Saeed Mortazavi, the then Tehran prosecutor, had ordered the transfer of detainees to Kahrizak and was one of the main accused. On Thursday, March 1, more than eight years after the incident, Abdolhossein Rouh-al-Amini, who was a senior advisor to Mohsen Rezai, one of the presidential candidates at the time, stated: "For eight years, I have been pursuing a grueling legal process, and I have come to the experience that even those who do not fear God and the Prophet fear the media. In fact, the media have been our allies at critical moments and played a primary role." Abdolhossein Rouh-al-Amini also mentioned that if Saeed Mortazavi does not present himself to the enforcement of sentences, a 'mobile arrest' warrant will be issued for him, which, according to the lawyer of the victims' families, was issued on Saturday, March 3. The lawyer for Mohsen Rouh-al-Amini's family had reported on December 26 of this year that Saeed Mortazavi had been sentenced to two years in prison for complicity in murder. Mr. Mortazavi had been acquitted of the charge of complicity in murder in the initial trial, which led to protests from Mohsen Rouh-al-Amini's family. In the initial trial, he was only convicted of 'illegal detention' of individuals he had sent to Kahrizak, receiving a permanent dismissal from judicial services and a five-year ban from public service. However, the appellate court found the charge of 'complicity in murder' applicable to him. After his judicial suspension, Saeed Mortazavi was appointed by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the head of the Social Security Organization. According to Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesman for the judiciary, apart from the Kahrizak case, Saeed Mortazavi has two other cases related to his management of the Social Security Organization. Additionally, based on investigations conducted in the sixth parliament, Saeed Mortazavi is one of the main accused in the case of the death of Zahra Kazemi, an Iranian-Canadian photojournalist in 2003. He was a judge of the press court in Iran for years and ruled on the suspension of dozens of publications and the arrest of many journalists.