
Yahya Pir Abbasi
AKA: Abbas Pirabbasi
- Judge of the Family Court, Tehran
- Judge of Branches 26 and 28 of the Revolutionary Court, Tehran (2009 - Feb 2013)
- Human Rights Violation: Issuing death and heavy imprisonment sentences for peaceful protesters and activists (2009) read more
- Institution
- Islamic Revolutionary Courts
- Location
- Tehran
- Rights Violated
- Right to a fair trial, Right to freedom from torture, Right to freedom of association, Right to life
- Description
Yahya Pir Abbasi, as a judge of Branches 26 and 28 of the Revolutionary Court, has played a role in the execution and repression of peaceful protesters during the controversial 2009 elections. He was one of the judges handling post-election cases and has issued death and long prison sentences for a number of protesters. Closed court hearings, minute-long trials without the due process, intimidation of detainees, disregard for the principle of independence of, and denying the defendants of their right to access to a lawyer are instances of the human rights violations in the cases presided by Pir Abbasi.
Among the sentences issued by Judge Pir Abbasi for civil and human rights activists:
-
18 years in prison, deportation to Borazjan, and 20 years ban from practicing law for Abdolfattah Soltani;
-
15 years imprisonment (10 years imprisonment in exile in Izeh city) and 74 lashes for Zia Nabavi;
-
15 years imprisonment for Hossein Ronaghi; 12 years imprisonment for Navid Khanjani;
-
11 years in prison, 20 years of ban from practicing law and 20 years ban from leaving Iran for Nasrin Sotoudeh;
-
11 years imprisonment for Narges Mohammadi; 8 years imprisonment for Saeed Abedini;
-
7 years and 4 months imprisonment and 34 lashes for Bahman Ahmadi-Amoui; 6 years imprisonment and 20 years ban from filmmaking and leaving the country for Jafar Panahi;
-
6 years imprisonment and 74 lashes for Shadi Sadr;
-
6years in prison, exile to Izeh in southwestern Iran, and 76 lashes for Shiva Nazarahari; 6 years imprisonment for Nazanin Khosravani,
-
one year imprisonment sentence and 30 years ban from the journalistic activities for Jila Bani Yaghoub.
-
- Sources
Abdolfattah Soltani was sentenced to 18 years in prison, Deutsche Welle, 2012
Zia Nabavi was sentenced to 15 years in prison and 74 lashes, Radio Koocheh, 18 July, 2015
Hossein Ronaghi Maleki; Crime: Citizen-Journalist, Iran Wire, 2014
https://iranwire.com/fa/news/old/1440
Criticism of the severe punishment of Nasrin Sotoudeh, Deutsche Welle, 2011
Narges Mohammad considered her sentence unfair and political, Deutsche Welle, 2012
John Kerry called for the release of Saeed Abedini, BBC Farsi, 2013
https://www.bbc.com/persian/iran/2013/03/130322_u01_kerry_abedini
Jila Bani Yaghoub's letter to the judge in the case of his wife, Bahman Ahmadi Amoei, December 2009
Jafar Panahi 6 years imprisonment, Mohammad Rasoulof: 1 year imprisonment, Kaleme news site, October 2011
- Other Information
-
In February 2013, Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran was dissolved and Yahya Pir Abbasi was transferred to one of the General Criminal Courts of Tehran. According to a number of lawyers, the decrease in security cases is one of the reasons for the dissolution of Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court. However, the appointment of Pir Abbasi as the head of the General Court, in which criminal cases are heard, is considered a demotion for him. Some experts also believe that in the past, some officials who have been placed on the human rights sanctions list for their role in human rights violations have been removed from their positions and appointed to positions that are less covered by the media and human rights activists.
- Human Rights Violation: Issuing death and heavy imprisonment sentences for peaceful protesters and activists (2009) read more
- Judge at the Criminal Court (Feb 2013 - present)
On 13 April , 2011, the European Union (EU) put Yahya (Abbas) Pir Abbasi on its list of human rights sanctions for issuing long-term prison and death sentences for the 2009 post-election protesters during his tenure as the head of Branches 26 and 28 of the Revolutionary Court. According to the decision, Pir Abbasi will be barred from entering the EU and all his assets will be confiscated in Europe.