Mohsen Hajimohammadi and 5 Other Prisoners to Be Tried in Tehran's Revolutionary Court

The trial of Mohsen Hajimohammadi and five other political prisoners, who were arrested on September 17 of this year, will be held on Tuesday, December 4, in one of the branches of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. Mr. Hajimohammadi, Sajjad Bakhshali, Pouria Shakouhi Rad, Hamed Mohagheghi, Behfar Lalehzari, and Rezvaneh Ahmadkhanbeigi were arrested in Tehran by the security forces of the Islamic Republic. Atefeh Tabesh, the niece of this political prisoner residing in Canada, told Voice of America that her uncle has been charged with "conspiracy and collusion, committing a crime against the security of the country through leading a criminal group known as the People's Army with the aim of disrupting security through communications with communist elements and financing the group for sabotage purposes." Ms. Tabesh rejected these accusations and added that Mr. Hajimohammadi, in his last phone call with his family last week, spoke about the circumstances of his arrest and the torture he and his friends endured, which resulted in him being prohibited from making phone calls. This political prisoner mentioned that they were beaten by plainclothes agents during their arrest. Mohsen Hajimohammadi also stated that Ms. Ahmadkhanbeigi was beaten for about two hours at her home while agents were searching her belongings. He added that the items in his industrial workshop were either destroyed or confiscated by the agents. Mr. Hajimohammadi, who has been arrested and imprisoned in the past, said that he and the other detainees were tortured for several days with their eyes covered in a detention center on Yaftabad Street in Tehran, and the agents even prevented them from sleeping. This situation, involving interrogation accompanied by torture, continued at the security police base as well. Eventually, the detainees were transferred to Evin Prison. Mohsen Hajimohammadi mentioned in this call that his right knee was injured and he could only move with a cane. Atefeh Tabesh indicated in her conversation with Voice of America that the families of the detainees have endured severe psychological pressure during this time, and even her uncle's child attempted suicide once. Mr. Hajimohammadi concluded his last phone call by saying: "We will take back Iran." Following last year's protests in Iran, security and judicial crackdowns by the Islamic Republic have intensified, leading to criticism from human rights organizations and the United Nations. In related news: The rising trend of executions of protesters in Iran has accelerated following the Gaza war; the European Union has described the speed of executions in Iran as "horrific." Narges Mohammadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was listed among the 25 most influential women by the Financial Times. Lawyer of Toumaj Salehi rejected the charge of "spreading falsehoods" against his client; security news agency reported that Toumaj will be handed over to Isfahan prison on Friday. Yashar Tabrizi and Kazem Alinajad were transferred to solitary confinement; 8 days of hunger strike and concerns for Zohreh Sarou. A source informed Voice of America that Zartosht Ahmadiraghb has been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison.