Authorities Absent; Supervisors Acquitted

Lawyers and families of victims of the Kahrizak prison atrocities have appealed against the court judgment issued by the Kahrizak court at the end of a closed trial. The court’s verdict was announced to the lawyers of the Kahrizak victims six days after the media first reported it.

Saleh Nikbakht, who represents Amir Javadifar’s family, told Rooz in an exclusive interview that the families have appealed the judgments. Noting several contradictions in the sentence, he says, “Despite the request of the lawyers and families that, even if the court does not have jurisdiction over Mortazavi, it should at least summon him as a witness, the court ignored the request.”

According to the exclusive Rooz report, the main defendant in the case is lieutenant colonel Faraj Karimkhani, the head of the Kahrizak detention facility. His charges include: negligence, recklessness and noncompliance with government regulations leading to physical injuries and death, depriving detainees of rights granted by the Constitution and laws, fostering pessimism towards law enforcement, and participating in the preparation of falsified reports for Kahrizak detention facility victims stating meningitis as the cause of death.”

Karimkhani was sentenced to imprisonment for 35 months, payment of 7 million rials in fines, and banned from holding government office for 6 months.

Another defendant in the case is colonel Ravanbakhsh Fallah, head of the law enforcement’s oversight body.

The third defendant in the case is colonel Mohammad Amerian, who was convicted of all the same charges expect for the preparation of falsified reports.

General Azizollah Rajabzadeh, head of Tehran’s police force in 1388, was another defendant in the case who was acquitted of all the charges.

According to the Rooz report, Ebrahim Mohammadian and Mohammad Khamisabadi are two other defendants who have been sentenced to death. The two served as guardian and warrant officers at Kahrizak.

The case’s only civilian defendant was Mohammad Reza Karami, who is referred to as a criminal prisoner in Kahrizak. He has been sentenced to imprisonment and payment of fines for assaulting and harassing the detainees.

Lieutenant guard seyyed Kazem Ganjbakhsh was another defendant in the case who was in charge of transferring detainees between Evin and other prisons. He was sentenced to imprisonment for 4 months, ban from holding government office for 3 months, payment of 2 million rials in fines, and lashes. According to the indictment, he was charged with refusing to provide the detainees with water.

Private Akbar Rahsepar, who was in charge of internal supplies for the Kahrizak detention facility, was another defendant in the case. Private 2 Hamid Zandi, private 2 Majid Varvaei – both Kahrizak guards and staff members – and private first class Mehdi Hosseinifar – a Kahrizak staff member – were the other defendants in the case who were sentenced to imprisonment, lashes and banned from holding government office.