Yahya Pir Abbasi

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.

Abdolfattah Soltani was sentenced to 18 years in prison, Deutsche Welle, 2012

https://justice4iran.org/persian/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%AD-%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%85%D9%84-%DB%B1%DB%B8-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%AD%DA%A9%D9%88%D9%85-%D8%B4%D8%AF-_-%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%87-_-DW-_-04.03.2012.pdf

 Zia Nabavi was sentenced to 15 years in prison and 74 lashes, Radio Koocheh, 18 July, 2015

https://justice4iran.org/persian/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/%C2%AB%D8%B6%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%A1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%DB%8C%D9%86-%D9%86%D8%A8%D9%88%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D9%87-15-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%AD%D8%A8%D8%B3-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%B2%DB%8C%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D9%88-74-%D8%B6%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%B4%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82-%D9%85%D8%AD%DA%A9%D9%88%D9%85-%D8%B4%D8%AF%C2%BB-%C2%AB-Radio-Koocheh.pdf

 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

https://justice4iran.org/persian/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%DA%A9%DB%8C%D9%81%D8%B1-%D8%B3%D9%86%DA%AF%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%87-_-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-_-DW-_-10.01.2011.pdf

 Narges Mohammad considered her sentence unfair and political, Deutsche Welle, 2012

https://justice4iran.org/persian/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/%D9%86%D8%B1%DA%AF%D8%B3-%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D8%AD%DA%A9%D9%85%D8%B4-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%87-%D9%88-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%AA-_-%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%87-_-DW-_-06.03.2012.pdf

 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

https://justice4iran.org/persian/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AC%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%AD%D9%82-%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86.pdf

Jafar Panahi 6 years imprisonment, Mohammad Rasoulof: 1 year imprisonment, Kaleme news site, October 2011

https://justice4iran.org/persian/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/%D8%A7%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%AD%DA%A9%D9%85-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AF%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%87-%D8%AA%D8%AC%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%AF%D9%86%D8%B8%D8%B1_-%D8%AC%D8%B9%D9%81%D8%B1-%D9%BE%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%87%DB%8C-6-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%AD%D8%A8%D8%B3%D8%8C-%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%88%D9%84_%D8%A7%D9%81_-%DB%8C%DA%A9-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%AD%D8%A8%D8%B3-%C2%AB-%D8%B3%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AA-%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C-%DA%A9%D9%84%D9%85%D9%87.pdf

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.