Mehrdad Tahamtan
- Judge Adviser of the Criminal Court of the Province, Fars Province (2019 - present)
- Human Rights Violation: Issuance of a death sentence for Navid Afkari (Aug 2018 - Sep 2020) read more
- Institution
- General Criminal Court
- Location
- Shiraz (Fars Province)
- Rights Violated
- Right to a fair trial, Right to freedom from torture, Right to life
- Description
Mehrdad Tahmatan, as an advisory judge of the criminal court of the Fars province, had a key role in issuance of a death sentence to Navid Afkari, on charges of murder. This was done without observing the principles of a fair trial, without providing solid evidence, relying solely on the forced confessions of the accused, and ignoring the repeated statements of Navid Afkari and Shahin Nasseri, a witness to severe torture of Afkari.
In the audio file released by the court, Mehrdad Tahman repeatedly refuses to provide any evidence in response to the defendant's request to provide evidence and documents, including CCTV footage.
Navid Afkari was arrested during the protests in August 2018 in Shiraz. He was then charged with Moharebeh (Armed struggle) in Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Shiraz, headed by Mahmoud Sadati, and also with the murder of a security officer in a provincial criminal court headed by Mohsen Rajaeinia, and presided by Mehrdad Tahmatan. Afkari was sentenced to a total of two executions, six and a half years in prison and 74 lashes.
Navid Afkari, meanwhile, had repeatedly spoken in court and in prison via audio messages about his severe torture to obtain false confessions. Finally, on the morning of 13 September, 2020, Navid Afkari was secretly executed in Shiraz without going through the legal process, without informing his lawyer and family, and without the right to a last visit. His body was buried at night in his native village. His family were not allowed to see his body, except for his face. His family and funeral witnesses testified to the beatings and fractures on his face at the funeral.
- Sources
Mother of Afkari brothers: My sons were tortured to testify against each other and one of them committed suicide, BBC Farsi, 30 September, 2016
https://www.bbc.com/persian/iran-53964437
August 2018 protests; 2 death sentences, 308 lashes and 88 years imprisonment for three brothers in Shiraz / Documents, HRANA News Agency, September 2016
https://www.hra-news.org/2020/hranews/a-26368/
New details of Navid Afkari's case; 'I bear witness that I have been tortured'; Judiciary: The allegation of torture is not true, BBC Farsi, September 2016
https://www.bbc.com/persian/iran-53977871
New details of Navid Afkari's death in prison: The possibility of Navid being killed as a result of torture has increased, Iran International, September 2016
https://iranintl.com/%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86/%D8%AC%D8%B2%DB%8C%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%85%D8%B1%DA%AF-%D9%86%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%81%DA%A9%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84-%DA%A9%D8%B4%D8%AA%D9%87-%D8%B4%D8%AF%D9%86-%D9%86%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D8%AB%D8%B1-%D8%B4%DA%A9%D9%86%D8%AC%D9%87-%D9%82%D9%88%D8%AA-%DA%AF%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%AA
- Human Rights Violation: Issuance of a death sentence for Navid Afkari (Aug 2018 - Sep 2020) read more