Rejection of Re-examination Request for Reza Rasayi by the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic; 'Serious Risk of Execution' Exists

A human rights group announced the rejection of Reza Rasayi's request for a re-examination by the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic, warning that this condemned protester is at 'serious' risk of execution. The legal advisors of Dadban reported on Tuesday, January 22, that the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic in Iran has rejected the request for re-examination submitted by Reza Rasayi's lawyers, who is condemned to death. Rasayi's lawyers objected to the confirmation of the primary court's ruling in the Supreme Court, emphasizing the 'numerous flaws and ambiguities' in the case, but the first branch of the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic announced that the lawyers' request is 'legally insufficient' without considering all the existing flaws and ambiguities in the case. Reza (Gholam-Reza) Rasayi, a protester following the 'Ahl-e Haq' (Yarsan) sect in the city of 'Sahneh' in Kermanshah province, faced charges of killing a police officer after participating in protests in November 2022 and was sentenced to 'qisas' (retribution). Previously, a source close to Reza Rasayi told Voice of America that despite the testimony of an eyewitness and contradictions in the statements of other defendants, the court issued a death sentence based on 'judicial knowledge'. According to this eyewitness, the incident leading to the death of Nader Birami on November 27 during protests in Sahneh occurred after one of the officers got into a confrontation over mandatory hijab with a woman present, and Nader Birami intervened and sprayed pepper spray on the crowd. The eyewitness stated that 'people became angry at this action' and while 'someone shouted that the Basij and officers are attacking', the people 'attacked them' and 'all the officers around Birami fled, leaving him alone in the middle'. According to an informed source and based on case documents, some attendees 'stabbed him 9 times', and in the videos published from the scene of the clash, 'Reza is not in any of the films', and 'Reza arrives' when Birami is 'half-dead and people are gathered around him watching, and Reza is one of those standing there looking'. A source close to Rasayi's family previously told Voice of America that 'the forensic medicine and all investigations have been directed towards finding a killer because there was a lethal blow, so we must find a killer and execute him. This means they wanted to take the case out of the collective brawl context and find a killer for this individual.' In recent days, Amnesty International issued a statement on January 14 calling for everyone to urgently send a letter to Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic, demanding the cancellation of Gholamreza Rasayi's death sentence. Additionally, there have been protests by Iranians in London in support of Mujahid Korkor and Reza Rasayi, and gatherings in Brussels against the death sentence of Rasayi and Mujahid Korkor. Relatives of Mujahid Korkor and Reza Rasayi have called for help, stating their lives are in danger and asking for their voices to be heard worldwide. The Iranian Writers' Association has called for the cancellation of death sentences, and the U.S. condemned the issuance of death sentences for four political prisoners. A group of activists opposing the Islamic Republic protested in London in support of Mujahid Korkor and Reza Rasayi, and human rights activists and organizations have warned about the execution of Rasayi and Mujahid Korkor. A message from Zartosht Ahmadiragheb from prison stated that the government will sink into 'the quagmire it has created'.