Mehdi Mahmoudian, Civil Activist, Refers to New Case by Judiciary: I Will Not Vote

Mehdi Mahmoudian, a journalist and civil activist, states that a new legal case has been opened against him in connection with his interview about the "burial problems" of Bahá'í citizens, and another case regarding his "confirmation of the presence of bedbugs in Evin prison" has also been referred to the Revolutionary Court. He simultaneously emphasized that he will not vote in an election that many users describe as a "show and circus." On Tuesday, June 11, he wrote on the social media platform X that due to his interview about the "burial problems of Bahá'í compatriots," a new case has been opened against him with a complaint from Behesht Zahra. Additionally, Mehdi Mahmoudian announced that another case has been sent to the Revolutionary Court due to his "confirmation of the presence of bedbugs in Evin prison." According to published documents, one of these cases has been sent to Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran, and the other has been referred to Branch 7 of the 31st District Prosecutor's Office in Tehran. Mehdi Mahmoudian concluded his message by stating: "But I will not vote." His emphasis on not participating in an election that many users in cyberspace have described as a "election circus" and "show" coincides with the Tehran prosecutor's announcement of charges against two media outlets regarding the early holding of the 14th presidential election to succeed Ebrahim Raisi. Mehdi Mahmoudian has previously been arrested several times and faces multiple cases in the judiciary of the Islamic Republic, one of which is the well-known case of the "Health Claimants," related to a group of lawyers and civil activists who intended to file a complaint against senior officials of the Islamic Republic. They accused government officials, including Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, of endangering citizens' lives and causing the deaths of thousands due to their decisions regarding COVID-19 management.