The Judiciary of the Islamic Republic Condemns Ahmad Ali Khani, Environmental Activist, to Pay a Fine

Ahmad Ali Khani, an environmental activist who was reportedly arrested in September 2023 after planting a tree on the grave of Nika Shakeri, has been sentenced to pay a fine. According to documents seen by Voice of America, the 8th branch of the Court of Appeals in Lorestan Province has condemned this environmental activist to pay 240 million rials in fines and has removed the penalties set in the previous ruling. Previously, the 2nd branch of the Revolutionary Court in Khorramabad had sentenced Ahmad Ali Khani to 'one year in prison, a ban on leaving the country, and a two-year prohibition on membership in parties and groups' on charges of 'propaganda against the regime.' It is noteworthy that a source had previously emphasized in an interview with Voice of America that Ahmad Ali Khani had planted a tree on the grave of the deceased Nika in support of her family 'in accordance with local customs' and 'in place of her deceased father' following the protests of 2022. Payam Darvishan, the lawyer for the Ali Khani family, also criticized the arrest of Ahmad Ali Khani, stating that he has been 'working for years to preserve and revive the country's environment by planting thousands of trees.' Earlier, unidentified assailants shot Amir Ali Khani, the brother of this environmental activist, with six bullets in front of the central prison of Khorramabad on October 5 of this year. According to Payam Darvishan, the lawyer, Amir Ali Khani was seriously injured in this attack and has lost his mobility. Human Rights Watch, in its annual report, noted the intensification of government repression in the months leading up to the anniversary of the protests, stating that 'Iranian officials have intensified their crackdown on peaceful dissent through threats, arrests, prosecutions, and trials of activists, artists, dissidents, lawyers, academics, students, and relatives of those killed in the nationwide protests of 2022.'