Death sentences issued for six defendants in the Ekbatan case

Hengaw: Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Six defendants in the “Ekbatan Case”—Milad Armon, Alireza Kafaei, Amir Mohammad Khosh Ighbal, Navid Najaran, Hossein Nemati, and Alireza Baramarz Pournak—have been sentenced to death by the judiciary of Islamic Republic of Iran.
According to a reporter received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, these defendants received capital punishment sentences from Branch 13 of the Tehran Criminal Court.

Babak Paknia, a lawyer involved in this case, stated that “In the Ekbatan case, defendants Milad Armon, Alireza Kafaei, Amir Mohammad Khosh Ighbal, Navid Najaran, Hossein Nemati, and Alireza Baramarz Pournak have been sentenced to death by the judges of Branch 13 of the Tehran Criminal Court. The presiding judge dissented, filing a minority opinion. This sentence is still subject to appeal.”

On November 2 and 3, 2024, Branch 13 of the Tehran Criminal Court held final defense sessions for eight defendants in the Ekbatan case, who face charges of “participation in premeditated murder and intentional assault causing injury"

On November 3, bail arrangements for four of the defendants — Hossein Nemati, Alireza Baramarz Pournak, Alireza Kafaei, and Amir Mohammad Khosh Ighbal — were revoked. These individuals had initially been released in February 2023 on bail of five billion tomans after more than a year in temporary detention. Following this ruling, they were re-arrested and transferred to Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj.

Additionally, on November 2, final defense sessions were held for Milad Armon, Seyyed Mohammad Mehdi Hosseini, Mehdi Imani, and Navid Najaran, who have been held in Ghezel Hesar Prison without a final ruling for two years. They were summoned to Branch 13 to present their final defenses. 

Originally classified as confidential, the Ekbatan Case was later reviewed by Branch 13 of the Tehran Criminal Court and Branch 4 of the Criminal Court in Tehran’s District 27 in April 2024 to address procedural issues. In September, the case was returned to Branch 13 and Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court under Judge Abolghassem Salavati.

The “Ekbatan Case” emerged during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement in November 2022, following the death of Basij member Arman Aliverdi at the Ekbatan Complex in Tehran. Initially involving 14 defendants, the case resulted in indictments for eight individuals.

The defendants, including Hossein Nemati (arrested on December 15, 2022), Amir Mohammad Khosh Ighbal (December 7, 2022), Seyyed Mohammad Mehdi Hosseini (December 6, 2022), Mehdi Imani (November 16, 2022), Alireza Kafaie and Alireza Barmarz Pournak (November 4, 2022), and Milad Armon (November 2, 2022), were arrested by security forces. Another defendant, Navid Najaran, was later arrested in Ahvaz and transferred to Tehran.

On August 1, 2023, the detainees were unexpectedly transferred from Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj to Ghezel Hesar Prison without prior notice.
  
The remaining defendants in the case—Milad Armon, Mehdi Imani, Seyyed Mohammad Mehdi Hosseini, and Navid Najaran—have been arrested for two years in Ghezel Hesar Prison, Karaj, with their cases still unresolved. 

Payam Derafshan, the lawyer for Hossein Nemati, stated on social media platform X that “the bail for Hossein Nemati and three other defendants has been revoked and converted to detention orders, and all have been transferred to Rajai Shahr Prison.” He also noted that the re-arrest occurred without new charges and that the defense team remains unclear on the reasons for the bail revocation. Additionally, consultants present at the recent hearing were not involved in previous sessions, limiting case discussions with the defense team. 

The Ekbatan case emerged in November 2022 during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement following the death of Basij Arman Alivardi in Tehran’s Ekbatan neighborhood. Initially, 14 individuals were charged in connection with the incident, with indictments issued for eight of them. 
On August 1, 2023, the ddetainees were transferred from Rajai Shahr Prison to Ghezel Hesar Prison without prior notice.