Rejection of the Appeal for the Death Sentence of Mehdi Hasani by the Supreme Court

Maryam Hasani, daughter of political prisoner Mehdi Hasani, who is imprisoned in Qazalhasar prison in Karaj and sentenced to death, announced that the appeal for the death sentence of her father has been rejected by the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In an interview with Voice of America, she referred to the torture inflicted on her father and the rejection of the charges against him, calling for a fair investigation into the case of this political prisoner. On Sunday, March 6, she wrote on social media platform 'X': 'The appeal has been rejected. This means I shouted once again, I hoped once again, and still, there was no wall shorter than our right. But this is only the end of one path, not the end of the story. My voice will not be silenced, even if I am ignored time and again. My father is innocent and I will not back down for justice.' In another post on social media 'X', she wrote: 'According to the lawyer's announcement: my father's appeal has been rejected and the death sentence could be executed at any moment.' According to the news agency HRANA, the appeal of Mehdi Hasani was rejected by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court. Maryam Hasani, in an interview with the Persian section of Voice of America, answered the question of what reasons were given for the rejection of her father's appeal by the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic: 'The verdict has not yet been communicated to the lawyer, and we learned about it from the branch itself.' Ms. Hasani described the Supreme Court's ruling as 'completely contrary to legal standards' and pointed out: 'My father was unable to have access to his chosen lawyer for two and a half years. Furthermore, my father has not yet been formally charged, nor has he been allowed to present his final defense, and there is no evidence to support the charges against him.' She emphasized that 'the confessions relied upon were made under torture, and my father has documented this, referring to his long-term imprisonment in solitary confinement, threats to family and friends by interrogators, and the beatings and torture he endured that led to injuries to his neck and knee.' Maryam Hasani stated regarding the charges against her father: 'My father has been accused of rebellion, corruption on earth, conspiracy against national security, collecting classified information, and membership in the Mojahedin-e Khalq, while none of these could be proven with evidence.' She stressed that 'her father's case has many legal flaws,' adding: 'Unfortunately, it has not been taken into account what conditions my father was under during detention.' Ms. Hasani noted that her father 'spent about six months in solitary confinement in Evin prison, and during this entire time, he was not allowed visits or phone calls and endured much psychological and physical torture.' She added: 'My father spent two months in an 11-square-meter suite in Evin prison with seven other inmates, where there was no room for sleeping or resting.' Maryam Hasani emphasized in this interview: 'The minimum demand for my father is a fair investigation into his case, because given that there is no evidence against my father, this investigation will clarify the ambiguities of the case, and I am confident that this will lead to my father's unconditional release.' She stressed that the death sentence issued for her father is 'completely unjust.' Mehdi Hasani, born in 1976 in Zanjan, was arrested on September 11, 2022, in Zanjan and transferred to Ward 209 of Evin prison. This political prisoner was sentenced to death in late September of this year by the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran. This sentence had been suspended following the acceptance of the appeal request by his defense attorney in the Supreme Court. Amnesty International, in a statement released in December of this year, called for the immediate halt of the execution of Mehdi Hasani and also Behrouz Ehsani Islamloo. Amnesty International stated in its announcement that these prisoners were subjected to torture and other ill-treatment after their arrest, including prolonged solitary confinement, and were forced to confess, and their trial by the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran was severely unfair. Behrouz Ehsani Islamloo, a 70-year-old political prisoner, was arrested in November 2022 amid nationwide protests by the Iranian government forces at his home and transferred to Ward 209 of Evin, related to the Ministry of Intelligence. He was transferred to Ward 4 of Evin three and a half months later and after 22 months of uncertainty, in late September 2023, he was sentenced to death on charges of 'rebellion, waging war against God, corruption on earth, membership in the Mojahedin-e Khalq, collecting classified information, and conspiracy against national security.' The risk of execution for Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hasani; explanation by Shiva Mahbubi. Protest graffiti in Shahriar; 'No to the execution of Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hasani.' The request of the Iran Human Rights Organization for the cancellation of the death sentences of six political prisoners. Transfer of Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hasani to the section of prisoners sentenced to death in Qazalhasar. Saeed Masouri, a political prisoner: the government has thrown a 'noose' around the people's necks. Amnesty International warned of the risk of execution of two political prisoners. Since February 11 of last year, there have been 1,021 executions by hanging.