Lawyer of the Accused Reports; Six Years Imprisonment for a Prisoner After Pardon

A lawyer has reported that a six-year prison sentence has been issued for "Meisam Dehban-zadeh," one of the detainees from last year's nationwide protests, stating that he had previously been granted a "pardon" announced in February of last year. Erfan Karamvysi, the lawyer, wrote in an Instagram post that Dehban-zadeh has been sentenced to additional penalties including a ban on leaving the country, a ban on membership in political and social groups, monthly attendance at a supervision office, and a ban on residing in Tehran and neighboring provinces for two years. According to Karamvysi, Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court convicted Meisam Dehban-zadeh of the charges of "conspiracy and collusion to commit a crime against national security" and "forming a group with the aim of disrupting national security." He emphasized that this ruling was issued despite Dehban-zadeh having been granted a "pardon" for the same case announced in February of last year, and despite "suspension and nullification of the effects of the conviction and issuance of a suspension order" in the case, after a hearing on July 9, the "closed case was reviewed again and a ruling was issued." According to Karamvysi, he was released from Tehran's Great Prison on June 6 with a bail of 500 million tomans related to the Evin fire case. The judiciary of the Islamic Republic had announced on Sunday, February 5, 2023, coinciding with the anniversary of the 1979 Revolution, that with the approval of Ali Khamenei, "tens of thousands" of accused and convicted individuals would receive "pardon and clemency," except for those who "declare that they are not remorseful and do not provide a written commitment." At that time, a human rights organization described the judiciary's request for the Supreme Leader's pardon for detained protesters as "hypocritical amnesty" and a "propaganda action," emphasizing the legality of citizens' right to protest and calling for the unconditional release of all protesters. The Iran Human Rights Organization tweeted: "The hypocritical pardon of protesters by Ali Khamenei is a propaganda action." The amnesty that the judiciary cited to release many of the prisoners detained during last year's protests did not last long, and on April 8, a lawyer wrote: "Not only is there no news of the closure of the cases of many of the accused who were included in the broad pardon of February, but the cases of these individuals have also entered the next stages of judicial proceedings, and there is a risk of their conviction and punishment." Ali Mojtahedzadeh also reported in a note published in the newspaper "Etemad" that some of the accused included in the "Leader's pardon" had been summoned to court. The judiciary also did not consider the prison sentences of the Tohidi sisters as "included in the pardon." Atena Farghadani refused to accept her bail and was transferred to prison, stating, "I have committed no crime." The execution of the prison sentences of the Tohidi sisters occurred despite their announced pardon.