Reports of Mashallah Karami's Sentencing to Six Years in Prison

Human rights sources have reported that Mashallah Karami, the father of executed protester Mohammad Mehdi Karami, has been sentenced to six years in prison. According to a report by the Harana website, based on a ruling issued by the Second Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Karaj and communicated to Mr. Karami in prison, five years of his total sentence is for the charge of 'gathering and colluding with the intent to commit a crime against national security,' and one year is related to the charge of 'propaganda against the regime.' The Hengaw website has also reported the issuance of a ruling with the same details for the father of Mohammad Mehdi Karami. Ali Sharifzadeh Ardekan, Mashallah Karami's lawyer, stated in response that the Revolutionary Court's ruling has not yet been communicated to him. He also denied the charge of 'fraud' against his client on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), writing: 'Two charges of money laundering and acquiring property through illegitimate means are currently under review in the Criminal Court 2 of Nazarabad, and no ruling has been issued.' Mohammad Mehdi Karami was one of nine individuals executed by the Islamic Republic in connection with the protests of 2022. He was executed in January 2023 in the case known as the 'murder of Basij member Rouhollah Ajamian.' Other individuals executed include Mohammad Qobadloo, Mohsen Shekari, Majidreza Rahnavard, Mohammad Hosseini, Saleh Mirhashimi, Saeed Yaqoubi, Majid Kazemi, and Milad Zahraei. There has been an increase in social media users' requests for the release of Mashallah Karami. Mashallah Karami was arrested on August 22, 2023, following a raid by security forces on his home and transferred to the central prison of Karaj. His lawyer reported last month that his client has been charged by the judiciary in four cases that will be reviewed by the Revolutionary and Criminal Courts of Karaj. The hearing for Mr. Karami's charges was held on April 23. Mashallah Karami has become a symbol of the families seeking justice for the widespread protests of 2022 due to his continuous sharing of images from his visits to his son's grave and also to Mohammad Hosseini, another executed protester in the Rouhollah Ajamian murder case. He also visited the family of Mahsa Amini during the Nowruz holidays in 2023, and a photo was published showing him shaking hands with her father, Amjad Amini, in a gesture of unity and solidarity at Mahsa Amini's grave. Security forces confiscated all electronic devices during his arrest and blocked the family's bank cards.