Pouran Nazemi Calls for Fair Trial with Lawyer and Jury Presence

Pouran Nazemi, a civil activist, in an audio file sent to Voice of America, has called on the authorities and security and judicial institutions of the Islamic Republic to demand a 'fair trial with evidence presented and the presence of lawyers and a jury.' In this audio file, Ms. Nazemi states that 'as long as selected lawyers cannot be present at all stages of interrogation and as long as courts are not held with the presence of a jury, civil disobedience is my only means of protest.' This civil activist considers the case known as 'the activists of southern Kerman' to be a confrontation of security institutions with peaceful civil activity and emphasized that the Islamic Republic is always seeking to prosecute individuals who stand with the people and defend human rights. Ms. Nazemi said, 'If civil activity and defense of human rights is a crime, then prosecute me with evidence and documents.' Voice of America reported on October 18 that the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Jiroft, Kerman province, has charged Pouran Nazemi, a human rights activist, with 'moharebeh' (waging war against God) and 'efsad-e fel-arz' (corruption on earth). The first branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Jiroft has accused Pouran Nazemi of charges including 'insulting Islamic sanctities, armed action against the Islamic Republic, moharebeh, and efsad-e fel-arz.' A knowledgeable source told the Persian section of Voice of America that this case, which is ongoing in the first branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Jiroft, was formed following a complaint by the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Kerman province. The attribution of these charges could lead to the harshest punishment, namely 'execution,' while this informed source emphasized that Pouran Nazemi is a peaceful human rights activist in Iran. The informed source stressed that the judiciary is resuming the processes of previous decades, saying, 'They are going back to the 1980s,' and 'if we remain silent, like in the case of the plaintiffs, they will intensify the repression and go after others as well.' Pouran Nazemi, a civil activist and human rights advocate who has been arrested and imprisoned several times, is one of the supporters of the families of plaintiffs, including the mothers of those killed in the November 2019 protests. She had previously told Voice of America that the Islamic Republic always interrogates and arrests civil and syndical activists with 'security charges' and creates 'cases' against them.