{"id":24955,"date":"2021-08-18T16:18:12","date_gmt":"2021-08-18T14:18:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iranfreedom.org\/en\/?p=24955"},"modified":"2021-08-18T16:18:13","modified_gmt":"2021-08-18T14:18:13","slug":"irans-regime-has-shown-impunity-for-its-officials-by-acquitting-the-former-convicted-prosecutor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iranfreedom.org\/en\/articles\/2021\/08\/irans-regime-has-shown-impunity-for-its-officials-by-acquitting-the-former-convicted-prosecutor\/24955\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran’s Regime Has Shown Impunity for Its Officials by Acquitting the Former Convicted Prosecutor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI<\/a>) reported on August 17 that the Iranian Supreme Court have recently nullified<\/a> the guilty verdict for former Tehran prosecutor, Saeed Mortazavi that was issued by a lower court in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mortazavi\u2019s 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<\/a> in 2003.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Saeed
Saeed Mortazavi being the man behind the rape, torture, and death of Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi in 2003. And now, despite many other crimes, he has been acquitted by the regime\u2019s judiciary.<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The NCRI <\/a>said, \u201cThe Supreme Court\u2019s announcement can easily be viewed as an instance of the Iranian regime rebuffing demands for further accountability. Furthermore, by clearing Mortazavi\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 fa\u00e7ade of domestic reform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NCRI said, \u201cThat message was already conveyed in June when it was confirmed that Ebrahim Raisi<\/a> would be the latest president of the Iranian regime. Raisi is notorious for having played a leading role in the 1988 massacre<\/a> of political prisoners, which claimed over 30,000 victims nationwide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was Raisi\u2019s 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\u2019s support of him is another sign that they will continue to defy the international community\u2019s human rights mandates unless there is a credible threat to make them comply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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