The Death Sentence for a Kurdish “Yarsan” adherent has been confirmed by the Supreme Court in Iran

Hengaw; Sunday, December 24, 2023

The death sentence for Reza Rasaei, a Kurdish “Yarsan” adherent, has been confirmed in the Supreme Court. This young man, who has spent over a year in detention, had previously been sentenced to death by the judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran on charges related to the killing of a government official.

According to reports obtained by the Hengaw organization for Human Rights, the recent death sentence for 34-year-old Reza Rasaei, a resident of Kermanshah (Kermanshan), has been officially confirmed by Branch 17 of the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic of Iran. His family has verified the confirmation of the sentence to Hengaw.

Reza Rasaei was previously sentenced to death by the second branch of the criminal court of Kermanshah province on charges of the murder of Nader Beyrami, the intelligence chief of the IRGC in the city of Sahaneh. Nader Beyrami was killed on November 18th, 2022 during the crackdown on a rally in Sahaneh organized for the commemoration ceremony of Seyed Khalil Alinzhad.

This allegation are based on the coerced confession of Reza Rasaei and other detainees, after months of torture and case fabrication, has not been legally substantiated to date.

Hengaw previously reported that the family members and close relatives of Reza Rasaei have received threatening messages and calls from unknown numbers, mounting their concerns, particularly regarding the fate of Reza Rasaei.

It is worth mentioning that in the first four months of Reza Rasaei's detention by security forces, he was deprived of access to the basic rights of a suspect, including legal representation and visitation.

Reza Rasaei was arrested on Thursday, November 24th, 2022, in the city of Karaj by government forces. After interrogation at the detention center of the IRGC Intelligence, he was transferred to Dieselabad Prison in Kermanshah.