Hanged Iranian Protester's Father Detained For Over 70 Days

Mashallah Karami, the father of Mohammad Mehdi Karami, an Iranian protester who was executed, has been in detention for over two months with no news about the charges.

Karami has been in detention for more than 70 days, during which security forces have repeatedly raided his home, according to the Follow-up Committee of Iranian Detainees, an independent organization monitoring the status of protesters arrested during anti-regime rallies across the country.

Following the raids, his wife and son were compelled to leave their residence and seek refuge in an undisclosed location, added the report.

Mashallah Karami was arrested on August 22, 2023, one month before the first anniversary of the Iranian people's uprising, when security forces stormed his home.

Human rights organizations and advocacy groups have reported that, during the same period, security forces confiscated electronic devices such as laptops and mobile phones belonging to the Karami family and froze their bank cards.

Regime forces, during Karami's initial arrest and subsequent home raids, vandalized and destroyed memorabilia, plaques, and Karate medals that belonged to Mohammad Mehdi Karami. They also set fire to his clothing. The surrounding area of Mohammad Mehdi Karami's gravesite has also been vandalized.

Additionally, the Karami family has been subjected to severe pressure not to disclose any information about Mashallah Karami's situation. Reports indicate that they have also been deprived of the right to communicate freely and move without restriction. A security officer has been permanently assigned to monitor the family, as stated by the committee.

Mohammad Mehdi Karami was executed on January 7, 2023, along with another protester, Mohammad Hosseini. They were accused of participating in protests and allegedly being involved in the killing of Ruhollah Ajamian, a Basij member present at the 40th-day memorial ceremony for Hadis Najafi, another victim of anti-regime protests in Karaj. Karami was arrested on November 3, 2022, two days after the Basij member was killed.

In the same case, the sentences of imprisonment and exile for eight others were finalized this September. Human rights organizations have repeatedly highlighted concerns about the fairness of the judicial process, citing a lack of evidence and documentation in their cases.

A few days earlier, Mirza Vali Ajamian, the father of Ruhollah Ajamian, expressed his dissatisfaction with the justice served in his son's case during a live television program.

In the program, he demanded the execution of more protesters and stated that Ali Akbar Velayati, a high-ranking official of the Islamic Republic and close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has prevented the hanging of other defendants through recommendations to the judiciary. In protest, he left the television studio.

The Iranian regime has been under scrutiny for its actions since the 2022 uprising and the subsequent killing of hundreds of protesters. Security and judicial institutions of the Islamic Republic have been applying substantial pressure on the families of those killed, with recent reports indicating the issuance of long-term prison sentences for several justice-seeking families.