Father Of Iranian Protester Sentenced To Death Says Designated Lawyer Doesn’t Answer Phone Calls

Mohammad Mehdi Karami, 22, is one of the five defendants who have been sentenced to death over the killing of a member of the paramilitary Basij force during protests in Karaj.

In an interview with Etemad newspaper, Karami’s father complained that the lawyer assigned to the defense of his son was not paying any attention to the case.

The father, Mashallah Karami, said he had tried to reach the lawyer for a week since the death sentence was issued, but his calls were never returned.

He said the court did not allow the family to hire a lawyer to defend his son: "We were told before that we can appoint a lawyer, but they finally did not allow it. I called Mr. Aghasi and he himself came to Karaj. After that, he was informed he was not allowed to access the file. Mr.[...], who is our son's lawyer, told us that we can have a lawyer of our choice, but we were never allowed."

Lawyer Mohammad Hossein Aghasi confirmed on December 10 that he went to the court at the family’s demand, and that his request was rejected.

Mashallah Karami described to Etemad newspaper the moment when his son announced him he had been handed capital punishment.

"My son called us on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. and said, 'Dad, they have issued the verdicts. My sentence is death'. My son was crying and said, ‘Don't tell mom anything’...his mother is very dependent on Mehdi”, the father said.

Mashallah Karami is a paper towel vendor in Nazarabad, Alborz Province. He said that besides Mohammad Mehdi, he has one disabled child.

“My son is an athlete and he strived to achieve honors. If something happens to Mehdi, our lives will also end. I told Mr. Asef Hosseini, 'Please give my child two life sentences, but do not execute him.' My son has won several national championships in karate. I am a peddler and I raised him while working as a worker."

According to information gathered by IranWire, 28 protesters have been handed capital punishment after the eruption of the nationwide protest movement in the middle of September.

Two executions have so far been carried out.

Security forces have launched a deadly crackdown on demonstrators, killing at least 458 people including 63 children and 29 women, activists say. At least 18,000 people have been detained.