Violation of the Revolutionary Court's Ruling Regarding 127 Years of Imprisonment for Facebook Activists

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported on Thursday, January 29, citing an "informed source," that the judge of Branch 54 of the Tehran Court of Appeals has "rejected" the primary court's ruling regarding the case known as the Facebook activists. This "informed source" described the appellate court's ruling as "ambiguous," stating that the judge did not specify the punishment for each defendant and left it to the execution judge. Iranian media reported on July 13 that eight Facebook activists were sentenced to a total of 127 years in prison by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Mohammad Mogheiseh. According to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Judge Mogheiseh issued the sentences based on a "gross error" by combining the old and new Islamic penal codes. An "informed source" told the campaign's website that the appeals court rejected the Revolutionary Court's ruling and based its decision on the new Islamic penal code. According to this "informed source," under the new penal code, a defendant with multiple charges is only sentenced to the "harshest punishment" among their charges. This "informed source" emphasized that the judge of Branch 54 delegated the determination of the punishment to the execution judge, with the condition that the ruling be favorable to the prisoner. It was added that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which arrested these eight citizens, had requested in a letter that some of these prisoners receive leniency in their sentences. The judge of Branch 54 was expected to issue a ruling favorable to the prisoners, considering the letter from the IRGC. This "informed source" stated that legally, the appellate court judge is obliged to issue a ruling and cannot delegate it to another judge, adding that the families and lawyers of the defendants are surprised and have protested this incident. Reports indicate that the defendants in the case known as the Facebook activists come from various cities in Iran, including Yazd, Shiraz, Abadan, Kerman, and Tehran, and their case consists of about 11 volumes. The International Campaign for Human Rights had previously reported that these eight individuals managed various Facebook pages with names such as "Imam," "Wiki Face," "The Loneliest Woman," "Dog Life," "Coral Fish," "The Loneliest Man," "When We Fall, Our Fear Disappears," and "The 50s Generation." Eman Mirzazadeh, the lawyer for one of the defendants, stated on October 24 that they did not know each other and met for the "first time" in Ward 350. According to Mr. Mirzazadeh, the management of some pages was shared among several individuals, which is why this case was consolidated. According to the website of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, one of the women defendants in this case has been released on bail due to having two small children and is currently in Kerman, her place of residence, while another female defendant is being held in very poor conditions in the women’s section of Qarchak Prison in Varamin. Reports indicate that six of the defendants in this case are in Ward 350 of Evin Prison.