Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the death sentences of seven Sunni prisoners. Anvar Khezri, Kamran Sheikheh, Farhad Salimi, Qasem Abesteh, Khosro Besharat, Ayoub Karimi and Davoud Abdollahi were arrested on February 8, 2010. They were first held at the Ministry of Intelligence detention center in Oroumieh for eight months. They were subsequently transferred to Evin prison and then to Rajaee Sharh prison. Their trial was held in 2016, six years after their arrest. On May 25, 2016 they were informed that they were sentenced to death by Judge Moqiseh at Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges including “sowing corruption on earth” and membership in extremist Sunni groups. Branch 41 of Iran’s Supreme Court reversed their sentences and remanded their case to Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. The seven prisoners were sentenced to death again by Judge Salavati.
In an open letter, Khosro Besharat, one of the seven Sunni men, maintained that he was innocent and that he was severely tortured and forced to confess to murdering a soldier. According to Besharat, all charges against him were fabricated.
Farhad Salimi, another one of the seven Sunni prisoners, wrote an open letter addressed to Ebrahim Raeesi, the head of the Iranian judiciary, stating that he was innocent and asking Raeesi himself to review his case file.