Hossein Zebhi
- Judicial Deputy of Attorney General (8 Apr 2007 - 16 Dec 2015)
- Human Rights Violation: Suppression of peaceful protests (2009) read more
- Institution
- Attorney General
- Location
- (National)
- Rights Violated
- Right to a fair trial, Right to freedom from torture, Right to life
- Description
As the Deputy Attorney General, Hossein Zabhi was involved in the crackdown on protesters in the 2009 elections, and the unfair trial of several protesters. In the summer of 2009, hundreds of protesters, journalists, students, human rights defenders, political activists, and civil society members were tried en masse in show trials, and some were sentenced to death. Two detainees, Mohammad Reza Alizamani and Arash Rahmanipour, were sentenced to death for plotting armed struggle during the 2009 post-election protests. However, after the trial, it became clear that they had been arrested before the elections and in April and May.
These trials were held without observing the basic principles of a fair trial, and the detainees were accused of creating unrest, acting against national security. A number of detainees under pressure and torture in court confessed by reading texts against themselves and other defendants.
- Sources
Status of executions in 2009, BBC Farsi, 9 March, 2010
https://www.bbc.com/persian/iran/2010/03/100309_l42_capital_punishment_rvw88
Show trials; Exposing the Iranian government and not the defendants, Radio Farda, 24 September, 2009
https://www.radiofarda.com/a/f35_Show_Trials/1807146.html
Former prosecutor confesses to beating and torturing protesters in 2009, Deutsche Welle, November 2017
- Legal Developments
- On 10 October, 2011, the European Union placed Hossein Zebhi on a human rights sanctions list for his role in widespread and gross violations of the rights of Iranian citizens. According to the decision, Zebhi will be barred from entering the countries of the union and his assets in Europe will be confiscated. According to the EU statement, Hossein Zebhi, as the deputy Attorney General, was responsible for prosecuting several protesters after the presidential election.
- Human Rights Violation: Suppression of peaceful protests (2009) read more
- Secretary of the Election Inquiries Headquarters (2007)
- Judicial advisor to Attorney General (Unknown)
- Head of the Office of Supervision and Inspection of the Prosecution Offices (Unknown)
- Head of the Appeals Committee of the Martial Arts Federation (Unknown)
- Advising Judge of the Supreme Court (16 Dec 2015 - present)
- Adviser to the Deputy Head of Judiciary (16 Dec 2015 - present)