Summons of Hossein Ronaghi, Civil Activist, and Kamal Lotfi, Family Member of Victims, to Court

Hossein Ronaghi, a civil activist, and Kamal Lotfi, a member of the families of victims, have been summoned to court. On Tuesday, November 21, Ronaghi announced his summons to Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of District 33 in Tehran through a notification from the Tehran judiciary. This human rights activist, who has been arrested and imprisoned several times, stated that the reason for his summons is related to his comments about the 'killing of Armita Garavand.' Ronaghi had previously written on X (formerly Twitter): 'They say Armita “passed away”! No, she was killed.' On the other hand, according to the summons issued for Kamal Lotfi, the father of Reza Lotfi, one of the victims of the nationwide protests in 2022, he must appear on Thursday, December 1, at Branch 102 of the Criminal Court in Dehgolan, Kurdistan Province, on charges of 'propaganda against the regime.' According to the Hengaw Human Rights Organization, this member of the families of victims was also arrested earlier this year and was temporarily released on bail after about two and a half months in prison. During his detention in Kamyaran prison, he also went on a hunger strike for a period. According to Hengaw, Kamal Lotfi had previously rejected the claims of government agencies regarding his son's death being caused by 'counter-revolutionaries,' emphasizing that his son was killed by government forces. Iranian officials refer to government opponents with terms such as 'counter-revolutionaries' and 'criminals.' The Iranian government is attempting to silence the families of victims through pressure, threats, summonses, and arrests. Mahsa Yazdani, the mother of protester Mohammad Javad Zahedi, who died during the nationwide protests in Amol, was recently sentenced to 13 years in prison. Meanwhile, according to Bidar Zani, a media outlet focused on women's rights, 'the military officials of the city have not yet identified her killer.' Additionally, reports of 'mass arrests' of female civil activists in Rasht have emerged. Mashallah Karami, the father of executed protester Mohammad Mehdi Karami, has also been in detention for over three months. Previously, Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, emphasized the ongoing 'relentless intimidation of the families of killed protesters' by the Islamic Republic, stating: 'The regime cannot force the people of Iran into silence and scare them.' The UN Human Rights Council's fact-finding committee also expressed 'deep concern' in September this year regarding the escalation of repression against girls and women and 'revenge' against protesters and the families of victims. The families of victims continue to seek justice in the fourth anniversary of the suppression of the protests: November continues. The case of the family of Abolfazl Adinehzadeh has been 'closed'; the investigator: they should take action for compensation. Lawyers for the family of victim Shirin Alizadeh: instead of addressing their complaint, they have also become 'debtors.' The Iranian government continues to exert pressure to prevent the holding of memorial ceremonies for the victims of the protests.