Grieving Father Seeks Justice for Son’s State-Sponsored Killing, Convicted by Iranian Judiciary

Hengaw; Tuesday, April 16, 2024
 

Kamal Lotfi, a member of the “Greiving” families and the father of Reza Lotfi, a victim of state-sponsored killing during the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, was recently detained for the second time and has been sentenced to five years in prison by the judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

According to reports received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Kamal Lotfi, a member of the “Greiving” families, was sentenced by the Revolutionary Court in Dehgolan, Kurdistan (Sanandaj) province, to one year of imprisonment for “anti-regime propaganda,” two years for “insulting the Supreme Leader,” and two years for “insulting the founder of the Islamic Republic (Khomeini),” totaling five years of imprisonment.

By invoking Article 510 of the Criminal Procedure Code (consolidation of sentences), the most severe sentence, which is two years of imprisonment, will be imposed.

Hengaw had previously reported that Kamal Lotfi, a 46-year-old resident of Dehgolan and the father of Reza Lotfi, one of the victims killed by Iranian government forces, was detained on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, after being summoned to the Revolutionary Court in Qorveh. As of this moment, there are no details regarding his whereabouts or detention conditions.

Reza Lotfi, a 19-year-old resident of Dehgolan, was shot directly and killed instantly by Iranian government special forces during the “Jin, Jian, Azadi” movement on Monday, September 19, 2022.

Hengaw had previously emphasized that Kamal Lotfi has always been under pressure from government authorities since the killing of his son. In response to government claims that his son was killed by “the opposition,” Mr. Lotfi released a video rejecting these claims and stating that his son was killed by government forces.

It is worth noting that Kamal Lotfi was previously detained on Sunday, April 16, 2023, on the streets of Dehgolan without any legal documents presented by security forces. After spending 78 days in detention, he was temporarily released on Monday, July 3, 2023, upon posting bail until the end of the judicial proceedings.

Kamal Lotfi developed a skin disease in Kamyaran Prison and went on multiple hunger strikes to protest the authorities’ denial of his requests for medical attention.