The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) reported on August 17 that the Iranian Supreme Court have recently nullified the guilty verdict for former Tehran prosecutor, Saeed Mortazavi that was issued by a lower court in 2017.
Mortazavi’s prosecution stemmed from the deaths of three victims who were horrifically tortured following the 2009 within his jurisdiction. He served 17 months of a 2-year sentence and was released from prison in September 2019. Since then, there have been a number of calls for Western authorities to arrest him when he travels outside of Iran, in response to his part in the torture and death of Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi in 2003.
The NCRI said, “The Supreme Court’s announcement can easily be viewed as an instance of the Iranian regime rebuffing demands for further accountability. Furthermore, by clearing Mortazavi’s record, the court has potentially opened the door for him to resume a role similar to that which allowed him to oversee four high-profile instances of fatal torture and likely many others that have not been so widely reported.”
They questioned why the regime has chosen to make the decision to acquit Mortazavi now, considering that it has been over two years since his release from prison. They believe that the decision is purely symbolic and a façade of domestic reform.
The NCRI said, “That message was already conveyed in June when it was confirmed that Ebrahim Raisi would be the latest president of the Iranian regime. Raisi is notorious for having played a leading role in the 1988 massacre of political prisoners, which claimed over 30,000 victims nationwide.”
It was Raisi’s crimes against humanity and human rights abuses that were the source behind the condemnation of his presidential appointment, which Tehran has turned a blind eye to. Mortazavi is not thought to have played a big role in the 1988 massacre, but the NCRI believe that the regime’s support of him is another sign that they will continue to defy the international community’s human rights mandates unless there is a credible threat to make them comply.
The NCRI said, “Unfortunately, the leadership of the European Union and most of its member states have so far declined to present the regime with those threats. Instead, they have largely remained laser-focused on the possible restoration of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.”
Activists for the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) led a boycott of the polls in the run-up to the presidential election earlier this year. It was noted by Tehran’s own official estimates that the majority of people would not be taking part in the election, and in fact, the NCRI reported that the actual turnout on election day was less than ten percent.
Since Raisi was inaugurated earlier this month, the number of public protests has increased. Many demonstrations began in response to the recent blackouts and water shortages faced in a number of regions in Iran but soon turned into anti-government protests, with slogans of “We do not want this regime,” echoing those that were a prominent feature of January 2018 and November 2019 uprisings.
The NCRI said, “If the European Union remains intent on restoring the nuclear deal and preserving the status quo with respect to Tehran, it will most likely be turning a blind eye to these civilian demands for freedom and democracy, as well as the repressive response that is certain to emanate from Tehran.”
