Iran weekly news

Exclusive

Iran weekly news

August 10, 2025

-The Ekbatan Case.

The “Ekbatan case,” involving eight young protesters, remains in limbo nearly two years after their arrest and nine months after their appeal was filed. Six of them face execution.

During Iran’s nationwide uprising, Milad Armon, Navid Najaran, Mohammad-Mehdi Hosseini, Mehdi Imani, Alireza Kafaee, Hossein Nemati, Amir-Mohammad Khosheghbal, and Alireza Barmez Pournak were arrested on charges including moharebeh (“waging war against God”), “participation in murder,” “propaganda against the state,” and “disrupting public order.”

Reports say the presiding judge opposed the “premeditated murder” charge, and even the appeals judges agreed, yet the majority still voted for the death penalty.

Families state:

“Not only has our appeal gone nowhere, but we’re afraid to even follow up. We fear the original verdict will be upheld if we push too hard.”

Hossein Nemati’s lawyer, Payam Derafshan, said that when he and some families visited the relevant branch, they were told outright that neither lawyers nor families would be allowed in.

-Death Sentence Upheld by The Supreme Court.

Human rights sources report that Iran’s Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of political prisoner Babak Shahbazi, previously condemned by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court on charges of “spying for Israel.”

His transfer order to Ghezel Hesar Prison has raised fears that the execution could be imminent.

According to reports, Mr. Shahbazi is the victim of a fabricated case by security agencies. His trial was marred by physical torture, psychological abuse, and coerced confessions.

He was seized in a night raid on his home. Security agents reportedly recorded the screams of his wife and teenage daughter during the raid and later played the audio back in interrogations, claiming they were under arrest and being tortured, though they never were. The psychological operation aimed to force Mr. Shahbazi to confess on camera.

Multiple contradictions in the case file and the lack of solid evidence have been documented, but the Islamic Republic’s judiciary ignored these flaws and still confirmed the death sentence.

-Arrested While Trying to Leave the Country.

Mohammadreza Ghanbartalab, who had created fake social media channels to spread rumors, issue threats, and extort people, was arrested while trying to leave the country.

He had previously appeared in court as a private complainant against Mahan Sedarat, one of the detainees from the nationwide uprising following the state killing of Mahsa Amini, accusing him of involvement in a scuffle and setting a motorbike on fire. Mahan was initially sentenced to death, but the ruling was overturned.

Reports say a large amount of gold, foreign currency, and electronic equipment were seized from Mr. Ghanbartalab at the time of his arrest.

-Arsham Rezaei’s Dire Condition in Prison.

Amid growing concerns over Arsham Rezaei’s condition in Ghezel Hesar Prison, his mother, herself recovering from open-heart surgery, has fallen seriously ill from the stress and uncertainty, and her health is now in danger.

Mr. Arsham, a monarchist political prisoner, hasn’t been heard from in over a week. Since the violent prison raid on Ward 4, officials have refused to give his family any information.

Reports say Mr. Arsham began a hunger strike about a week ago inside a solitary cell. With the severe digestive issues he developed in prison, his physical condition is now described as deeply alarming.

-A Bold Act of Resistance.

After severe power fluctuations in Miandoab damaged a household’s appliances, a courageous woman took matters into her own hands. She marched to the local electricity office and blocked the street out front, determined to make her protest impossible to ignore.

A bold act of resistance in a city tired of being left in the dark.

-Protests Against Power Outages.

Hundreds of angry residents in Motel Qu gathered for a protest against the relentless and exhausting power outages.