Iran’s Judiciary Obliges Executed Protester’s Family to Pay Heavy Compensation

International Liberty Association: Iran’s judiciary has ordered the wife of Mostafa Salehi, a young protester who was recently executed, to pay 425 million tomans as blood money. If that sum is not paid, the house and all properties of his bereaved wife and two orphaned children will be confiscated.

Reports indicate that Mustafa Salehi’s bereaved wife has been summoned to Isfahan’s Judiciary and was informed that they must pay 425 million tomans in ransom for the death of ‘Sajjad Shahsanaei’ and other agents who were injured in clashes with people during the nation-wide December 2017-January 2018 protests.

According to the verdict if this amount is not paid, the house and of Mustafa Salehi’s wife and children, as well as their family garden will be confiscated.

Mostafa Salehi, 33, was a construction worker and also ferried passengers to support himself and his family. His children, Nazanin and Amir Hossein are four and six years old, respectively.

He was arrested following the nation-wide December 2017-January 2018 protests in Kahriz-Sang in Isfahan Province.

He was tried in the 1st Branch of the Isfahan Penal Court and was sentenced to death after being accused of killing Sajad Shah Sanaie, a member of the Basij militia, and beating and injuring six other people.

He spent eight months in solitary confinement in the Intelligence Ministry’s prison in Dowlat-Abad and another five months in solitary confinement in Isfahan’s Dastgerd Prison. He was handcuffed chained on his legs and confined to his solitary cell without a mattress and a blanket. He had no visitation rights for 14 months and was given only a small piece of bread while in solitary.

The interrogators broke his limbs and teeth under torture. They severely damaged his neck and spine to force him into cooperating with the Intelligence Minister and submit to a forced television confession. But he did not surrender to these pressures.

ILA: According to a person close to Mostafa, he was initially cleared of the charges brought against him in court and was told he would be released but the case was reopened upon pressure from the IRGC Intelligence Department. He said Mostafa was innocent.

“He did not accept the charges in the court and there was no substantial evidence against him,” the person said.

The 30-year-old man, Mostafa Salehi, was subsequently executed on 5 August 2020.

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