Tehran Prosecutor Announces Issuance of 150 Indictments for December Protesters

Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi stated on February 4 that 150 indictments have been issued for those accused in the December protests, and "four individuals" remain in custody. According to the Tehran Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office, Dolatabadi emphasized that "the view of the Tehran Prosecutor's Office is not that anyone arrested on the street is guilty," and reiterated that "only four individuals are in custody." On January 28, the Tehran Prosecutor had mentioned that "10 individuals" from those arrested were still in detention. No independent source confirms or denies the numbers provided by Dolatabadi. The Iranian judiciary has refused to allow international representatives to visit its prisons. A senior researcher at Human Rights Watch recently stated that parliament members should demand that officials allow independent Iranian and foreign inspectors access to prisons across the country; "Iran has not allowed UN experts to visit since 2005." Alireza Rahimi, a member of the Tehran parliament, stated last week that "five thousand individuals" were arrested during the protests across Iranian cities, and "500 individuals" remain in custody. Rahimi, who recently visited Evin prison with ten other representatives to inquire about the deaths of several protesters during detention, wrote on his Telegram channel that the representatives were finally able to "speak with a few of the remaining detainees." According to a report from the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, most of those arrested during the widespread protests in December lacked access to lawyers and family visits during the preliminary investigation phase. This campaign indicated that some detainees face charges such as "moharebeh" (waging war against God), which could potentially lead to the death penalty. In addition to arrests, reports have emerged in recent weeks regarding the deaths of Sina Ghobari, a detained protester in Evin prison, as well as Vahid Heydari and Shahab Abtahi Zadeh in Arak, Mohsen Adeli in Dezful, Saro Ghahramani and Kianoush Zandi in Sanandaj. Following these reports, several Iranian parliament members warned of a potential "second Kahrizak" incident, but judicial officials claim that the deceased in prison "committed suicide" or that their deaths were unrelated to the protests. The widespread protests in December initially began due to economic conditions in Mashhad but quickly spread to dozens of cities and took on a political nature. Protesters chanted harsh slogans against the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, officials, and senior institutions, opposing Iran's intervention and presence in other regional countries, and expressing support for the Pahlavi monarchs. At least 25 individuals were killed during the protests.