Cyber police interrogator Akbar Taghizadeh has been sentenced to three years in prison, two years in exile, and 74 lashes for the murder of dissident blogger Sattar Beheshti, who died under torture while in police detention in November 2012. Giti Pourfazel, the Beheshti family lawyer, told Iranian Students News Agency that the verdict against Sattar’s […]
Tag: sattar.beheshti
Cyber police officer sentenced for death of blogger
A court in Tehran has sentenced the accused in the death of jailed blogger Sattar Beheshti to three years in jail and 74 lashes. According to the Beheshti family attorney, the accused has also been ordered to have an obligatory transfer for two years. Giti Pourfazel told ISNA: “While journalists receive six-year sentences, it […]
Reformist Iranian Journalist Arrested
Saba Azarpeik, an Iranian journalist working for several reformist publications, has been arrested in Tehran. Reports say Azarpeik was taken away by security forces earlier on May 28 from the offices of the reformist “Tejarat-e Farda” weekly in the Iranian capital. The reason for her arrest is not clear. The outspoken Azarpeik was also […]
Family of Blogger Killed in Custody Insists on Murder Charges
The family of Sattar Beheshti, the blogger who died under torture by his prison interrogator, is refusing to participate further in the court proceedings against his killer, Giti Pourfazel, the lawyer representing Sattar’s family, said in an interview, in protest against the charge of “unintentional murder” brought against the interrogator who caused his death. […]
Dead blogger’s parents won’t attend manslaughter trial
The trial of a security officer accused of manslaughter in the case of detained blogger Sattar Beheshti will take place on Tuesday April 8, with the victim’s parents saying they’ll boycott the trial to protest the court’s decision to prosecute the officer for manslaughter rather than murder. ISNA reports that the family’s lawyer, Giti […]
Ashton Defends Meeting With Iran Rights Activists
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has defended her meetings with human rights activists during a recent visit to Iran. Ashton’s spokesman, Michael Mann, said meeting with civil society representatives is a central part of Ashton’s foreign travels. Mann spoke on the sidelines of nuclear talks now under way in Vienna between Iran […]
I Told Ashton That Sattar Died Under Torture
Eshghi’s Meeting Creates A Firestorm The mother of Sattar Beheshti – a blogger who dies in prison – told Rooz that EU’s foreign policy chief said she would enquire about her son’s murder from Iranian authorities. “Ms Ashton treated me in a very friendly and respectful manner. She said she would talk to Iranian […]
Human Rights Activist Rejects Criticism of her Meeting with Ashton
Narges Mohammadi, the human rights activist at the center of a controversy over her meeting in Tehran with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, has defended her action. “Objections to our meeting with Ashton are harmful to the atmosphere of moderation and trust promised by the Rouhani Administration,” Narges Mohammadi told the International Campaign […]
Security officer charged with manslaughter in Beheshti case
The security officer who oversaw the case of Sattar Beheshti, the detained blogger who died three days into his arrest by Cyber Police, will stand trial in April for manslaughter in a court for government staff, says the Beheshti family’s lawyer. According to IRNA, Giti Pourfazel reported that Beheshti’s parents have received a summons […]
Dead blogger’s family abandons manslaughter case
The family of Sattar Beheshti, the jailed blogger who died while in the custody of cyber police, has decided not to pursue the case through the judiciary. Giti Pourfazel, the lawyer for the family, told ISNA that the court has dropped the charge of first degree murder, and the family is not interested in […]