Protests in Women's Ward of Evin Prison Against the Execution of Reza Rasayi; 'Phones in the Ward Cut Off'

Following the execution of Reza Rasayi, who was accused of murdering the head of the IRGC intelligence in the city of Sahneh, reports indicate protests in the women's ward of Evin Prison in Tehran and clashes between security forces and prisoners. Political prisoners in Evin Prison have recently launched a campaign against executions in Iran, named 'No to Execution Tuesdays.' This campaign coincided with the execution of Reza Rasayi on Tuesday, August 7, despite ambiguities surrounding his case. Political activists reported that following the protests in Evin Prison, security forces attacked the prisoners, and the phones in this ward were also cut off. Aliyeh Matlabi, a human rights activist with a history of political imprisonment, wrote on social media platform X: 'Reza Rasayi was executed at a time when everyone is concerned about conflict and the possibility of war. Meanwhile, reports indicate that agents attacked the female prisoners in Evin and clashed with them, as the women did not remain silent in protest against Rasayi's execution and repeatedly called on the people to shout 'No to Execution.' Before this, Taghi Rahmani, the husband of Narges Mohammadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and political prisoner, reported the cutting off of phones in Evin Prison. Mehdi Mahmoudian, a political activist, also wrote on X: 'Following the protests of the female prisoners in Evin Prison against the execution of Reza Rasayi and the assault by the security guards, several political prisoners were injured and taken to the infirmary. Due to the disruption of phone communications, there is no news available about the condition of the prisoners in this ward.' Reza (Gholamreza) Rasayi, 34 years old and a follower of the Yarsan faith, was sentenced to death by the Second Criminal Court of Kermanshah for 'participation in the murder of Nader Birami, the head of the IRGC intelligence in Sahneh,' a sentence that was also confirmed by the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, some lawyers and human rights activists have pointed out several legal ambiguities in Rasayi's case, including 'reliance on coerced confessions of defendants against each other,' 'deliberate disregard for the testimonies of several defendants in favor of Reza Rasayi,' and 'failure to consider the opinion of forensic experts.' One of Rasayi's former cellmates told Radio Farda that Rasayi claimed he was forced to confess to the murder of Nader Birami under torture. According to him, Rasayi told his fellow inmates that he had no role in this murder but was compelled to give a false confession, and based on this confession, the death sentence was issued against him. Reza Rasayi was arrested on November 24, 2022, about a month after the incident, in Shahriar and transferred to Dizelabad Prison in Kermanshah.