Re-trial of Mohammad Ali Taheri at the Revolutionary Court

Mohammad Ali Taheri's lawyer announced that his client's court session was held on Tuesday, March 6, following the annulment of his sentence by the Supreme Court. Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai stated in an interview with ISNA on Wednesday that during this session, videos of his client's classes were shown from 10 AM to 3 PM in the presence of the judge, lawyers, the prosecutor's representative, and the investigators of the case. According to Mr. Alizadeh Tabatabai, the judge posed questions, and it was agreed that Mr. Taheri would provide answers, after which a time would be set for final defense. He did not provide further details about the court session or the branch handling this case. Mohammad Ali Taheri founded an organization called 'Erfan Halghah' in 2001, engaging in activities related to 'Iranian complementary medicine, transcendental therapy, and cementology.' He was arrested in 2011, and the initial sentence issued against him was 'death.' Last year, his death sentence was annulled by the Supreme Court, and the case was referred back to the Revolutionary Court for re-examination. Mr. Alizadeh Tabatabai emphasized in a recent interview on the video-sharing website 'Aparat' that all of his client's actions were legal. He stated that Mr. Taheri established his organization with the participation of Mr. Ali Pour and Brigadier General Jorjash, who were senior security officials in the police force and held the rank of brigadier. Supporters of Mohammad Ali Taheri have held several protests in recent years, and some have been arrested and imprisoned. In a letter to Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, in July 2014, Mr. Taheri wrote that 'interrogators and investigators' forced him into 'false confessions' through 'pressure and psychological torture.' He also mentioned that due to the 'tortures' inflicted on him during detention, he attempted suicide four times and went on hunger strikes twice. In recent months, he has also gone on hunger strikes for several days. Some conservative media had previously reported that three religious authorities issued a 'fatwa of apostasy' against Taheri. However, the Iranian Labor News Agency, ILNA, quoted Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi on September 1, 2015, stating that 'this claim (of apostasy) is not true, but he has many deviations, and participating in his classes is not permissible.' Ayatollah Alavi Gorgani also stated in response to a question that 'no definitive fatwa' regarding Mr. Taheri's 'apostasy' has been issued.