Summons of Ramin Qashqai for Prison Sentence Execution; Informed Source: Due to Illness, Imprisonment Poses Life Threat

An informed source told VOA that Ramin Qashqai, one of the detained protesters from the nationwide protests of 2022 who is currently free on bail, is facing the possibility of returning to prison. According to this source, imprisonment poses a life-threatening risk for Mr. Qashqai due to his illness. Based on documents obtained by VOA, Ramin Qashqai, son of Mohammad Amin, from the Qashqai tribe and a member of the Qashqai Gharpachi and Janikhani families (descendants of Jan Khan Qashqai), was arrested during the nationwide protests of 2022, and the judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic accused him of 'conspiracy and collusion to commit a crime against internal and external security' and 'propaganda against the Islamic Republic.' According to the ruling of the first branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Qazvin, Ramin Qashqai was sentenced to 'five years of imprisonment' for the charge of 'conspiracy and collusion' and 'one year of punitive imprisonment' for the charge of 'propagandistic activity against the Islamic Republic,' in addition to a 'ban on leaving the country' and exile to Nikshahr County in Sistan and Baluchestan Province for two years. This sentence was reduced to 'three and a half years of imprisonment' in the appeal stage due to what the court ruling referred to as 'lack of the spiritual element of the crime' and also based on his 'illness and good reputation,' while the one-year punitive imprisonment remained unchanged. According to the ruling issued on July 25, 2023, the 'General Directorate of Intelligence of Qazvin Province' claimed that Ramin Qashqai, in 'December 2022,' acted as the 'commander of the leaders' council and a field and operational element,' issuing statements and public calls at various times and recruiting forces in the form of a secret organization, playing a role in guiding and organizing operational actions against the regime during the protests. The intelligence agency also claimed that Mr. Qashqai 'sent films and images' to media outlets outside of Iran, including 'VOA,' and was active on a page and channel titled 'Youth of the Iranian Revolution.' Furthermore, the Qazvin Intelligence Agency alleged that the actions of this protester were 'terroristic' and 'completely conscious and from a position of enmity with the Islamic Republic,' and that he intended to carry out actions on 'the last Wednesday of the year' (Chaharshanbe Suri) and had a wide role and activity in creating tension and delegitimizing the regime regarding the issue of poisoning students across the country. Meanwhile, the informed source, in an interview with VOA, called the claims mentioned in the ruling and the 'security order' of the initial court 'ridiculous' and emphasized that Mr. Qashqai was 'tortured' during his imprisonment for 'forced confessions' against himself, and that the ruling was based on 'forced confessions' of another accused individual. A source close to Ramin Qashqai also emphasized that his presence in protests and activities, including at the funeral of Sajjad Qaimi, one of the protesters killed during the suppression of the 2022 protests in Shiraz, was 'completely peaceful.' This source referred to Sajjad Qaimi, one of the young protesters who was killed during the suppression of protests in Shiraz on November 16, 2022, by direct fire from the Islamic Republic's agents. According to this exclusive report, a notice for the execution of the sentence has currently been issued for Ramin Qashqai, but given that he, due to the 'illness' he suffered during detention and interrogation, 'does not have the ability to endure imprisonment,' returning to prison will likely 'seriously endanger his life.' Mr. Qashqai himself also posted a picture of the summons notice for the execution of the sentence on Instagram, stating that 'the forensic medicine' had issued an eight-month treatment leave for him due to his illness, but 'suddenly the arrest warrant came.' According to this informed source, Ramin Qashqai, who was an athlete and boxer in the 90 kg weight class, has become severely emaciated after suffering from illness following his detention and torture. This source also stated that in addition to 'threats, harassment, and torture during detention,' Mr. Qashqai has recently received 'threatening calls.' Pressure on political prisoners and harassment of detained protesters has been reported multiple times before. The informed source also noted that during Mr. Qashqai's detention, significant pressures were imposed on his family, resulting in the death of his grandmother and serious health issues for his mother. This issue has also been reported by other political prisoners. For instance, Reza Mohammadi, a political prisoner held in Qezel Hessar, stated that after witnessing the severity of violence by agents during his arrest, his father suffered a stroke shortly afterward and died.