Friday , 29 March 2024

Accounts of Torture and Summary trial of Javad Rouhi

HRW – Iran’s Branch 1 revolutionary court of the city of Sari in Mazandaran province has sentenced at least three people to death on protest-related charges. The December 13 summary trial of 31-year-old Javad Rouhi, arrested on September 22 in Noshahr, Mazandaran province, lasted only 45 minutes. The court sentenced him to death three times on charges of “waging war against God,” “corruption on Earth,” and “apostasy.”

Javad Rouhi

According to information Human Rights Watch obtained, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) agents arrested Rouhi and held him in solitary confinement for over 40 days. During this period, authorities refused to share any information about Rouhi’s situation or whereabouts with his family. While in detention, IRGC forces allegedly tortured Rouhi. According to an informed source, Rouhi was exposed to freezing temperatures in detention and had ice cubes put on his body and testicles for periods of 48 hours. He was also beaten severely with batons and whipped all over his body, including the soles of his feet, while tied to a pole. He reportedly lost control over his bowel movements, mobility in one of his legs, and experienced an impairment in speech, as a result of the torture. The court has refused to consider reports of Rouhi’s mental health condition and did not allow him access to a lawyer of his choice during the trial.

The egregious violations of due process rights and fair trial standards, and the torture and ill-treatment of detainees have been a systemic feature of the authorities’ crackdown against protests.

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