The defense lawyer of Mashallah Karami, the father of Mohammad Mehdi Karami who was executed, announced that despite nearly eight months of temporary detention, the head of Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court in Karaj opposed the temporary release of Mr. Karami.
Ali Sharifzadeh Ardakani, on his X page (former Twitter), wrote: “The court session to review my client’s charges will be held on April 23, 2024, at Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court in Karaj. Unfortunately, the request to convert the temporary detention into appropriate bail and grant his release was not approved.”
On August 22, 2023, Mashallah Karami was arrested for filing a complaint on behalf of his son, Mohammad Mehdi Karami, when security forces raided his home in Karaj. He was transferred to the detention center of the Intelligence Department in that city.
During the latest raid by security forces at Mr. Mashallah Karami’s residence, after demolishing the house and destroying the belongings that were mementos of Mohammad Mehdi, they destroyed all the items, medals, and commemorative plaques. They also set fire to Mohammad Mehdi Karami’s clothes. Due to the pressures imposed on this family, Mr. Karami’s spouse and child were forced to leave their home and relocate to an undisclosed location.
According to the issued indictment by Branch 11 of the Public and Revolutionary Court in Karaj, Mashallah Karami is accused of five charges, including “membership in groups and organizations aiming to act against national security,” “propaganda against the Iranian regime,” “insulting sanctities,” “forming a group with the intention of undermining national security,” and “insulting Khamenei.”
According to reports received by Iran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM), it was previously reported that the Iranian judiciary had set a heavy bail amount of seven billion tomans for the temporary release of Mashallah Karami. This is despite the fact that the Karami family does not have the financial means to provide such an amount.
