Re-sending of the Case of Mohammad Ali Taheri to the Supreme Court on Charges of Corruption on Earth

The sister of Mohammad Ali Taheri, the founder of 'Erfan Halqa', announced that the 'interrogator' of her brother told him during an interrogation session after the annulment of his death sentence that his case has been re-sent to the Supreme Court for confirmation of the sentence on charges of 'corruption on earth'. Azardokht Taheri stated in an interview with the International Human Rights Campaign website that her brother was summoned to the third branch of the Evin Prosecutor's Office on April 12 and was interrogated. According to Ms. Taheri, the 'interrogator' told Mr. Taheri in this session that 'the issues regarding the charge of corruption on earth have been resolved' and the case has been 'sent again for confirmation of the sentence to the Supreme Court'. Saeed Khalili, Mohammad Ali Taheri's lawyer, had previously reported that his client's death sentence was 'annulled' in the 33rd branch of the Supreme Court and the case was referred for 're-examination' to the 26th branch of the Revolutionary Court, the branch that issued the initial ruling. If the court insists again on the charge of 'corruption on earth', the judge can issue a new death sentence for Mr. Taheri. Ms. Taheri also reported that the 'interrogator' raised the charge of 'membership in the Fadaiyan Khalq Organization' during the interrogation session. Ms. Taheri rejected this accusation, adding that her brother helped in 'arms manufacturing for the army' during the Iran-Iraq War, and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Expediency Discernment Council, mentioned him in his memoirs. Ms. Taheri's statements about the charge of 'membership in the Fadaiyan Khalq Organization' being raised during the interrogation session come while, according to Iranian laws, the 'notification of charges' against defendants is done in interrogation sessions by the investigating judge, and interrogators do not have the legal authority to 'notify charges' to defendants. Mohammad Ali Taheri, who started an institute called 'Erfan Halqa' in 2001, was arrested in 2011 for activities related to 'Iranian complementary medicine, spiritual healing, and cementology'. Reports indicate that Mr. Taheri was also arrested once in 2009 and was released after 67 days in solitary confinement. Supporters of Mohammad Ali Taheri have held several protests in recent years, and some of them have also been arrested and imprisoned. In July 2014, Mr. Taheri wrote in a letter to Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, that 'interrogators and investigators' forced him into 'false confessions' through 'pressure and psychological torture'. He also stated that due to the 'tortures' inflicted on him during detention, he attempted suicide four times and went on hunger strike twice.