Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri, a Kurdish political prisoner arrested during the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in Iran, now faces severe charges that could lead to a death sentence.
The charges result from his involvement in providing medical supplies to injured protesters. In an interview with IranWire, his daughter, Zhino, shared details about his case and the accusations against him.
Babamiri was arrested in April 2023 in the Kurdish city of Bukan, located in Iran’s West Azerbaijan Province. He has since spent over 600 days in Urmia Prison, the provincial capital.
“My father is a defendant in two cases,” his daughter Zhino told IranWire.
“In the first case, he’s charged as an accomplice to murder, which is being handled by the Criminal Court in Urmia. The second case, involving multiple charges, is with the Revolutionary Court in Urmia. The last hearing for the murder case was held on December 23, 2024, and we believe he might be acquitted. However, the Revolutionary Court case, with its numerous charges, still looms ahead.”
According to Zhino, her father has three co-defendants in the murder case. “There is no evidence against my father,” she said. “The other three defendants have confessed to the crime and have emphasized that they do not know my father.”
“The second case is being investigated at Branch 10 of Urmia’s Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office,” Zhino explained.
“The indictment lists several charges against my father, including waging war against God, mutiny, gathering and collusion against national security, financing terrorism, propaganda against the regime, espionage, cooperation with hostile governments, possession of satellite internet equipment (Starlink), illegal weapons possession, and membership in illegal groups.”
Zhino revealed that her father endured four months of interrogation at the detention center of Urmia’s Intelligence Bureau.
“During his first six months in prison, a public defender was assigned to him, but we never saw or heard from this lawyer. Eventually, we managed to appoint a lawyer of our choice. Despite this, we are still worried because the Revolutionary Court judge continues to dismiss my father’s and his lawyer’s defense, even though the case contains significant flaws.”
Since his arrest in April 2023, Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri has consistently denied all charges during court hearings. He has only admitted to “procuring and anonymously distributing medications to injured protesters during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement”.
He also acknowledged purchasing a Starlink device “for personal use”.
Zhino has been working tirelessly to bring her father’s case to the attention of international human rights organizations. “My father has been held under ‘temporary’ detention this entire time,” she tells IranWire.
“It’s unclear when the Revolutionary Court will review his charges. Meanwhile, security agents have subjected him to continuous torture and torment.”
In a letter addressed to Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, and Sara Hossain, Chairperson of the UN’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran, Zhino documented numerous human rights violations her father endured during his arrest, interrogation, and legal proceedings.
“My father is a simple farmer and an ordinary citizen of Bukan,” Zhino wrote in the letter. “He was arrested and tortured for providing humanitarian aid to injured protesters during the bloody suppression of demonstrations. Now, he faces the threat of a death sentence due to the charges brought against him.”
Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri was arrested by Intelligence Ministry agents on April 16, 2023. His family did not know his whereabouts for over four months.
According to Zhino, multiple attempts by the family to approach judicial and security authorities yielded no information for four months. Eventually, they learned he was being held at a “secret detention center run by the Intelligence Ministry in Urmia”.
Zhino said that her father has been subjected to severe physical and mental torture during his detention.
“He was effectively abducted by security agents while driving to his farm from Bukan. He was severely beaten during his arrest and interrogations to force confessions. He even lost hearing in one ear due to the torture. When my grandmother was finally allowed to visit him months later, he couldn’t open his eyes because of prolonged deprivation of light in his cell.”
Faraz Firouzi, a Europe-based human rights lawyer, is representing Zhino in highlighting the flagrant human rights violations in her father’s case.
“My father filed a complaint with the armed forces’ judicial bureau in Urmia against the Intelligence Ministry interrogators for torturing him. He also requested an examination by the Legal Forensic Organization, but both were rejected,” Zhino said. “Nevertheless, both his lawyer and Mr. Firouzi believe that significant human rights violations have occurred in his case.”
Firouzi clarified that while he represents Zhino Beigzadeh, he does not interfere with the actions of Rezgar’s appointed lawyer.
“In our complaint to the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran and the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran, we documented numerous instances of human rights abuses in Rezgar’s case.”
Firouzi also pointed out that the Iranian judiciary has extended Rezgar’s “temporary” arrest for 21 months without presenting evidence.
“The judge is ignoring the absence of evidence against this detainee. Forced confessions obtained through torture have been used to fabricate charges against him. In our letter to the United Nations, we have detailed all these human rights violations,” he said.
Firouzi also highlights violations of Iran’s own laws in this case: “The first violation of the defendant’s rights and the constitution is how this Kurdish citizen was arrested. It breached Article 32 of the constitution, as the accused was kidnapped by security agents without a warrant.”
Article 32 of the Islamic Republic Constitution states, “No person may be arrested except according to and in the manner laid down in the law. If someone is detained, the subject matter of the charge, with reasons (for bringing it), must immediately be communicated and explained in writing to the accused. Within at most 24 hours, the file on the case and preliminary documentation must be referred to the competent legal authority. Legal procedures must be initiated as early as possible. Anyone infringing this principle will be punished in accordance with the law.”
Additionally, Article 38 of the constitution explicitly prohibits torture, “Any kind of torture used to extract an admission of guilt or to obtain information is forbidden. Compelling people to give evidence, confess, or take an oath is not allowed. Such evidence, confession, or oath is null and void. Any person infringing this principle is to be punished in accordance with the law.”
Articles 60 and 195 of the Islamic Republic’s Code of Criminal Procedure also forbid any kind of torture and clearly state that forced confessions cannot be used as evidence. Despite these provisions, “all these laws have been ignored in the case of Rezgar Beigzadeh.”
Other violations include Articles 35, 48, and 52 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which guarantee the accused the right to choose their own lawyer.
More significantly, Iran’s actions also violate the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which it is a signatory.
This covenant obliges member states to respect the civil and political rights of individuals, including the right to due process, freedom from torture, and protection against arbitrary arrest and detention.
“We have yet to deliver this letter to influential human rights organizations,” Zhino said. “But by spreading awareness about my father’s case, we hope to amplify his voice and attract attention to his plight.”
Source: Iran Wire