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{{Short description|Iranian judge}}
{{Multiple issues|{{POV|date=May 2014}}{{BLP sources|date=May 2014}}{{sections|date=May 2014}}
{{Underlinked|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox Judge
{{Infobox Judge
|honorific-prefix =
| honorific-prefix =
|name = Abolqasem Salavati
| name = Abolqasem Salavati
|honorific-suffix =
| honorific-suffix =
|image = Abolqasem Salavati in Justice week conference.jpg
| image = Abolqasem Salavati in Justice week conference cropped.jpg
|imagesize =
| imagesize =
|caption =
| caption =
|office = Head of the 15th branch of the [[Islamic Revolutionary Court]]
| office = Head of the 15th branch of the [[Islamic Revolutionary Court]]
|term_start = 5 December 2010
| term_start = 5 December 2009
|term_end =
| term_end =
| appointer = [[Sadeq Larijani]]
| appointer = [[Sadeq Larijani]]
|predecessor = Mohammad Moghiseh
| predecessor = Mohammad Moghiseh
|successor =
| successor =
|office1 = Judge of the [[Islamic Revolutionary Court]]
| office1 = Judge of the [[Islamic Revolutionary Court]]
|term_start1 = 1 July 2002
| term_start1 = 1 July 2002
|term_end1 =
| term_end1 =
| appointer1 = [[Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi]]
| appointer1 = [[Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi]]
|predecessor1 =
| predecessor1 =
|successor1 =
| successor1 =
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1967|7|16|df=yes}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1967|7|16}}
|birth_place = [[Tuyserkan]], [[Iran]]
| birth_place = [[Tuyserkan]], [[Imperial State of Iran|Iran]]
|death_date =
| death_date =
|death_place =
| death_place =
|restingplace =
| restingplace =
|birthname =
| birthname =
| alma_mater = [[University of Judicial Sciences and Administrative Services]]<br/>[[University of Tehran]]
|nationality =
|spouse =
| occupation =
|residence =
| profession =
| footnotes =
|alma_mater = [[University of Judicial Sciences and Administrative Services]]<br/>[[University of Tehran]]
| nickname = Judge Salavati<br>Iran's Hanging Judge
|occupation =
|profession =
|religion =
|signature =
|website =
|footnotes =
}}
}}
'''Abolghasem Salavati''' ([[Persian language|Persian]]: ابوالقاسم صلواتی; born 16 July 1967) is the head of the 15th branch of the [[Islamic Revolutionary Court]] in [[Tehran]], Iran. In recent years, he has been the [[judge]] of numerous controversial cases.<ref>Judge Salavati, Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1YGEtGLrU</ref>
'''Abolqasem Salavati''' ({{langx|fa|ابوالقاسم صلواتی}}) (born 16 July 1967)<ref>https://spreadingjustice.org/fa/individual-violator/sj65036/ {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref> is an Iranian judge and former head of the 15th branch of the [[Islamic Revolutionary Court]] in [[Tehran]], Iran. In recent years, he had been the [[judge]] of numerous controversial cases.<ref>Judge Salavati, Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1YGEtGLrU</ref> He has been sanctioned by the [[United States]] and the [[European Union]].


He is one of six judges whom human rights organizations have highlighted as being the instruments of a crackdown on journalists and political activists under the influence of Iran's intelligence and security apparatus. Besides Salavati, the other revolutionary court judges include Mohammad Moghiseh, former justices [[Yahya Pirabbasi]] and [[Hassan Zareh Dehnavi]] (known as judge Haddad), and appeal judges [[Hassan Babaee]] and [[Ahmad Zargar]]. The six judges are accused of overseeing miscarriages of justice in trials in which journalists, lawyers, political activists and members of Iran's ethnic and religious minorities have been condemned to lengthy prison terms, lashes and even execution.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper = [[The Guardian]]|date = 31 July 2014|url = http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/31/six-judges-iran-crackdown-journalists-activists|title = Six judges accused of leading role in Iranian crackdown on free speech|author = Saeed Kamali Dehghan}}</ref>
He is one of the judges whom human rights organizations have highlighted as being the instruments of a crackdown on journalists and political activists under the influence of Iran's intelligence and security apparatus. Besides Salavati, the other revolutionary court judges include [[Mohammad Moghiseh]], former justices [[Yahya Pirabbasi]] and [[Hassan Zare Dehnavi]] (known as judge Haddad), judge of Court of Media, Bijan Ghasemzadeh, and appeal judges [[Hassan Babaee]], [[Ahmad Zargar]] and [[Qazi Sadat]]. These judges are accused of overseeing miscarriages of justice in trials in which journalists, lawyers, political activists, and members of Iran's ethnic and religious minorities have been condemned to lengthy prison terms, lashes, and even execution.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper = [[The Guardian]]|date = 31 July 2014|url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/31/six-judges-iran-crackdown-journalists-activists|title = Six judges accused of leading role in Iranian crackdown on free speech|author = Saeed Kamali Dehghan}}</ref><ref name="ArtsFreedom">{{Cite web|url=https://freemuse.org/news/iran-musician-sentenced-to-five-years-in-prison-and-74-lashes/|title=Iran: Musician sentenced to five years in prison and 74 lashes|accessdate=Dec 12, 2020|archive-date=October 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019015423/https://freemuse.org/news/iran-musician-sentenced-to-five-years-in-prison-and-74-lashes/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|newspaper = [[Gooya News]]|date = 18 February 2017|url = http://news.gooya.com/2017/02/post-877.php |title =فساد کلان مالی "بیژن قاسم‌زاده" او را به "بردگی" مقامات قضایی کشانده است}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=عماد بهاور، زندانی سیاسی اصلاح‌طلب، از زندان آزاد شد|url=https://www.radiofarda.com/a/f14_emad_behavar_released_from_prison/26750348.html|access-date=2021-05-29|website=رادیو فردا|language=fa}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=عماد بهاور از زندان آزاد شد|url=https://www.ilna.news/بخش-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AE%D9%84%DB%8C-24/234566-%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%A8%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A2%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%B4%D8%AF|access-date=2021-05-29|website=خبرگزاری ایلنا|language=fa}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2014-12-18|title=عماد بهاور آزاد شد|url=https://www.bbc.com/persian/iran/2014/12/141218_l45_emad_bahavar_freed|access-date=2021-05-29|website=BBC News فارسی|language=fa}}</ref>


==Career==
==Iran's Hanging Judge==
Iranian [[Human rights in Iran|human rights]] and political activists call him Iran's Hanging Judge<ref name="iranian.de">{{Cite web|url=http://www.iranian.de/Main/bar-ressie%20bidaadgari-haaye%20JE.htm|title=خانه حقوق بشر ایران منتشر میکند|accessdate=Dec 12, 2020}}</ref> along with Mohammad Moghiseh and Yahya Pirabbasi.


In September 2014 he presided over the case of a man, [[Mohsen Amiraslani]], executed for [[heresy]] for describing [[Jonah and the Whale]] as an allegory.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper = [[The Guardian]]|date = 29 September 2014|url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/29/iran-executes-man-heresy-mohsen-amir-aslani?CMP=twt_gu|title = Iran executes man for heresy|author = Saeed Kamali Dehghan}}</ref><ref name="MyUser_Jonathanturley.org_February_20_2015c">{{cite web |url = http://jonathanturley.org/2014/09/30/iran-executes-man-for-innovations-on-religion-and-insulting-job/|title = Iran Executes Man For "Innovations" On Religion And Insulting Job|newspaper = Jonathanturley.org|date = 30 September 2014|author = |accessdate = February 20, 2015}}</ref>
Iranian [[Human rights in Iran|human rights]] and political activists call him ''Iran's Hanging Judge''<ref name="iranian.de">http://www.iranian.de/Main/bar-ressie%20bidaadgari-haaye%20JE.htm</ref> along with Mohammad Moghiseh and Pir-Abbasi.


On 1 June 2015, judge Salavati convicted the cartoonist [[Atena Farghadani]] to 12 years and nine months in prison on the charges of colluding against national security, spreading propaganda against the system, and insulting members of the parliament through her artwork. She had depicted Iranian government officials as monkeys and goats in protest of a draft law that would outlaw voluntary sterilization and restrict access to measures of birth control.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions/free-atena-farghadani-iran-prison-drawing-cartoons-artist |title=Free Atena, imprisoned for drawing cartoons in Iran &#124; Amnesty International UK |accessdate=2015-10-02 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003015940/https://amnesty.org.uk/actions/free-atena-farghadani-iran-prison-drawing-cartoons-artist |archivedate=2015-10-03 }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = Satirical cartoonist to have 12 year prison term extended over handshake|url = https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/female-cartoonist-could-have-12-year-prison-term-extended-for-shaking-her-lawyers-hand-10492837.html|accessdate = 2015-09-11|date = 2015-09-09|website = The Independent|first = Matilda|last = Battersby}}</ref>
A decision to show clemency to 81 of the people detained in the unrest that followed last year's presidential election in Iran has once again shone the spotlight on the country’s judicial and penal systems.


In November 2022, Salavati presided over the trial of [[Execution of Mohsen Shekari|Mohsen Shekari]]. Shekari was convicted of injuring a member of Iran's [[Basij]] militia during the [[Mahsa Amini protests]]. He was found guilty of drawing a weapon, with the intention of killing, causing terror and disturbing the order and security of society, as well as of ''[[Moharebeh]]'' (waging war against God). Shekari was sentenced to death despite Salavati having the choice to impose a lighter sentence, such as [[deportation]].<ref name=":72">{{Cite news |last=Engelbrecht |first=Cora |date=8 December 2022 |title=Iran Executes Man Over Nationwide Protests |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/08/world/middleeast/iran-protests-execution.html |url-status=live |access-date=2022-12-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208183754/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/08/world/middleeast/iran-protests-execution.html |archive-date=8 December 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":122">{{Cite web |date=2022-12-08 |title=ستون آخر این جدول را پر نکنید؛ چه کسانی با حکم اعدام مواجه هستند؟+ اسامی |url=https://www.etemadonline.com/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C-9/586516-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%B6%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D9%81%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B6-%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B6%D8%A7%D8%AA |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221211083351/https://www.etemadonline.com/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C-9/586516-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%B6%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D9%81%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B6-%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B6%D8%A7%D8%AA |archive-date=2022-12-11 |access-date=2022-12-11 |website=اعتمادآنلاین |language=fa }}</ref> Mohsen was 22 years old when he was executed by hanging on 8 December 2022.
On June 2, 2013, Supreme Leader Ayatollah [[Ali Khamenei]] approved a recommendation by the head of the judiciary. Ayatollah [[Sadeq Larijani]], to release some of the 81 under amnesty and reduce the sentences of the rest.<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/2013/09/130923_l39_ejei_political_prisoners_exonerated.shtml</ref> None of those eligible has been named, but most had been convicted by Revolutionary Court system, which is separate from the civil judiciary and are tasked with dealing with threats to the Islamic regime and the constitutional order. As such, they led the way in trying people detained in the wave of arrests that followed [[2009–2010 Iranian election protests|protests]] sparked after [[Iranian presidential election, 2009|2009 presidential election]].


=== Judicial rulings ===
Within the Revolutionary Courts, three judges – Abolghasem Salavati, Mohammad Moghiseh and Pir-Abbasi – stand out for their role in presiding over joint and individual trials involving hundreds of defendants.


Source:<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Home - Breaking News, World News, US News, Sports, Business, Innovation, Climate, Culture, Travel, Video & Audio |url=https://www.bbc.com/ |access-date=2024-02-16 |website=www.bbc.com}}</ref>
Although some of these trials were held in public, the three judges remain shadowy figures. It is unclear what their legal backgrounds are, or how they came to be appointed. There are no pictures of Moghiseh or Pir-Abbasi, and they do not appear at public events. Pir-Abbasi’s first name is not even known.


* Mohammad Gholamzadeh sentenced to 5 years imprisonment, charged with conspiring by participating in student assemblies.<ref>Ardakani, A. [@Al_Sharifzadeh] [https://twitter.com/Al_Sharifzadeh/status/1592177108603764736?s=20 <nowiki>[Tweet].</nowiki>]Twitter. Retrieved 2022-1-7.</ref>
A human rights lawyer in Tehran, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “What they have in common is that they impose sentences that do not correspond with the crime committed; they ignore the defence case put by defendants and their lawyers; they approve indictments that have no legal basis; they are unfamiliar with the law and legal matters; and they undeniably come out with erroneous rulings.” <ref name=":2"/>
* Supervised a preliminary session for several detainees of the [[Mahsa Amini protests]], issuing charges for 315 people, including:<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 October 2022 |title=دادگاه اغتشاشگران تهران برگزار شد؛ لیدر اغتشاشات پاکدشت که بود؟ + فیلم |work=[[Tasnim News Agency]] |url=https://tn.ai/2795722 |access-date=7 January 2023}}</ref>
** Mohammad Ghobadlou and Saeed Shirazi charged with ''[[Mofsed-e-filarz|Efsad-E-Fel Arz]]'', or loosely translated, as Corruption on Earth.
** Saman Seyyedi charged with assembly and conspiring to act against national security.
** [[Mohammad Boroughani]] charged with [[moharebeh]].
** Abdolfazl Mehri-Hossein Hajilou charged with opposing the Islamic government by setting a public transport vehicle ablaze.
** Mohsen Rezazadeh Gharogholou charged with [[moharebeh]], assembly, and conspiring to act against national security.
* [[Mostafa Tajzadeh]] sentenced to a total of 8 years imprisonment, charged with assembly and conspiring to act against national security (5 years), distribution of false information (2 years), and advertising against the government (1 year). Tajzadeh's lawyer, Houshang Pourbabaee, tweeted that his client did not appeal the sentence and will be serving 5 years per law.<ref>Pourbabaee, H. [@HoushangPourba1] [https://twitter.com/HoushangPourba1/status/1579842870689005568?s=20 <nowiki>[Tweet].</nowiki>]Twitter.</ref>
* Erfan Mobaraki was accused of espionage, collaborating with hostile governments and ''[[Mofsed-e-filarz|Efsad-E-Fel Arz]]'', or corruption on earth, sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and execution. According to [[Tasnim News Agency|Tasnim]] News, he has been providing classified documents to European countries.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Abdollahi |first=Kian |date= |title=آخرین اخبار روز ایران و جهان ؛ خبرهای امروز {{!}} خبرگزاری تسنیم {{!}} Tasnim |url=https://www.tasnimnews.com/ |access-date=2024-02-16 |website=www.tasnimnews.com |language=fa}}</ref>
* Reza Eslami, professor of human rights at [[Shahid Beheshti University]], sentenced to 7 years imprisonment and banned from teaching and leaving the country. Eslami had previously been accused of cooperating with the US against the [[Iran|Islamic Republic]] by hosting a workshop in the [[Czech Republic]]. He denies having any involvement with the [[United States|US government]], stating that the American party was an NGO and he was unaware of any affiliations between the NGO and the US government. 14 of his 15 students were pardoned; however, one person was referred to the general parquet on the basis of removing the mandatory [[hijab]] in [[Turkey]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 February 2022 |title=رضا اسلامی، شهروند ایرانی-کانادایی و مدرس حقوق بشر به ۷ سال زندان محکوم شد |work=Harana |url=https://www.hra-news.org/?p=273640 |access-date=7 January 2023}}</ref>
* [[Kameel Ahmady]], sentenced to 9 years imprisonment and a 60,000€ fine, charged with cooperation with the government of the enemy. He has allegedly been pushing for socio-cultural reforms, such as raising the minimum age requirement for marriage. According to [[Tasnim News Agency|Tasnim News]], Ahmady had been in contact with several European embassies in Iran, had submitted a falsified report to the [[United Nations special rapporteur]] against the Islamic Republic, and traveled to Israel disguised as a BBC reporter.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2020-12-13 |title="کامیل احمدی" به ۹ سال حبس محکوم شد+عکس |work=[[Tasnim News Agency]] |url=https://tn.ai/2409665 |access-date=2023-01-14}}</ref>
* Hoda Amid, women's rights activist, sentenced to 8 years imprisonment, a 2 year limitation imposed on her social rights, and a 2 year ban from practicing law. She was charged with cooperating with the US government against the Islamic Republic on affairs pertaining to women and the family, according to section 508 of the Islamic Prosecution Laws.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2020-12-13 |title=محکومیت دو فعال حقوق زنان به مجموعا ۱۵ سال زندان |work=[[Iran Human Rights]] |url=https://iranhr.net/fa/articles/4530/ |access-date=2023-01-16}}</ref>
* Najme Vahedi, women's right activist, sentenced to 7 years imprisonment, and a 2 year limitation imposed on her social rights. She was similarly charged as Hoda Amid, during the same court session, with cooperation with the US against the Islamic Republic.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2020-12-13 |title=محکومیت دو فعال حقوق زنان به مجموعا ۱۵ سال زندان |work=[[Iran Human Rights]] |url=https://iranhr.net/fa/articles/4530/ |access-date=2023-01-16}}</ref>
* [[Emad Shargi|Emad Sharghi]], an Iranian-American, sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, charged with [[espionage]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-01-18 |title=تداوم بازداشت و بی خبری از وضعیت عماد شرقی شهروند دو تابعیتی |work=HRNA News Agency |url=https://www.hra-news.org/2021/hranews/a-28391/ |access-date=2023-01-16}}</ref>


=== Controversy ===
Salavati is somewhat better known than his two colleagues. Millions of people remember his face from televised trials where he sat in judgement over hundreds of defendants.
Salavati is among the 32 officials sanctioned by the [[European Union]] in April 2011 who have committed human rights abuses after the 2009 disputed election.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/eu-ban-32-iranian-officials-for-human-rights-abuses/2011/04/14/AFNs3paD_story.html|title=EU ban 32 Iranian officials for human rights abuses|first=Thomas|last=Erdbrink|date=Apr 14, 2011|accessdate=Dec 12, 2020|via=www.washingtonpost.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2011:100:0001:0011:EN:PDF |title=COUNCIL REGULATION (EU) No 359/2011 |date=12 April 2011 |website=eur-lex.europa.eu |format=PDF}}</ref>


In December 2019, the [[United States Department of the Treasury|U.S. Treasury Department]] sanctioned Salavati for "censorship or other activities that prohibit, limit, or penalize the exercise of freedom of expression or assembly by citizens of Iran".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://home.treasury.gov/index.php/news/press-releases/sm862|title=Treasury Sanctions Two Judges Who Penalize Iranians for Exercising Freedoms of Expression and Assembly|date=December 19, 2019|website=home.treasury.gov|accessdate=December 21, 2019|archive-date=December 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221061306/https://home.treasury.gov/index.php/news/press-releases/sm862|url-status=dead}}</ref>
At least 12 death sentences are believed to have been passed against alleged participants in the protests that followed the June 2009 re-election of [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]] as president, and Salavati was responsible for half of these, winning him the grim nickname “Judge of Death”.<ref name="iranian.de"/>


{{Quote box
Salavati is rumoured to have acquired his post as head of Revolution Court branch thanks to the backing of former intelligence minister [[Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei]].
| class = infobox vcard
| title = A political prisoner's remark on Salavati
| quote = He [Salavati] is an awfully calm person and issues serious rulings, such as death sentences with a smile on his lips. His court sessions are very short, at times, as short as five minutes.
| author = Ramin Chavoshi
| source = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coVkFgQFOj8&#124; Source]
| fontsize = 100%
| qstyle = font-style: italic;
| quoted = true
| salign = right
}}


== Personal life ==
His name first became publicly known in December 2006 when he passed death sentences against two defendants for the 2005 murder of [[Hassan Ahmadi Moghadas]], deputy chief prosecutor for Tehran and himself a Revolutionary Court judge, who headed the same branch that Salavati later took charge of.
His daughter, Samaneh Salavati, is an artist. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://bcircleagency.com/index.php/illustrators|title=Judge Salavati's Daughter Samaneh Salavati}}</ref>

Moghadas also presided over countless trials of dissidents and journalists, including that of prominent investigative journalist [[Akbar Ganji]] whom he sentenced to 15 years in jail.

In January 2009 Salavati found four people guilty of colluding with the United States government against Iran for working on an HIV/AIDS prevention programme. Arash and Kamyar Alayi, brothers who were both doctors, got six- and three-year sentences, respectively, while Silva Haratounian and Mohammad Ehsani received three-year terms.

The Alayi brothers’ “crime” seems to have been to participate in a seminar held by the non-government Aspen Institute in Washington.

Salavati was unmoved by the defense argument that they were not working with the American government. No evidence was produced in court to support the prosecution case, and the judge simply based his decision on the indictment document submitted by Iran’s intelligence ministry.<ref name=":2"/>

The indictment, posted on the internet by the International Campaign For Human Rights in Iran, amounts to little more than a confused story of alleged US interference in Iran, rather than specific factual evidence.

Salavati seems to have proved his credentials with this case. His judicial backing for the intelligence agency's pursuit of alleged dissidents made him the ideal candidate to take a leading role in the post-election trials of 2009, the biggest political cases in two decades.

In that role, Salavati sat in judgement over some of Iran's most prominent political figures such as one-time vice president [[Mohammad Ali Abtahi]], former deputy speaker of parliament [[Behzad Nabavi]]; former government spokesman [[Abdollah Ramezanzadeh]] and a number of others from government and parliament.

Human rights groups called for Salavati to be suspended from his post<ref>http://pomed.org/blog-post/human-rights/iran-ichri-calls-for-suspension-of-judge-in-derakhshan-case/</ref> because of the unswervingly harsh verdicts he issued based on thin evidence.

When the first hearings of 100 detainees were heard, Salavati read out an indictment similar in style to the one used in the Alayi trial. The defendants were accused of various misdeeds, very few of which constitute a crime under the law.

Despite the paucity of evidence, Salavati passed sentences of up to 15 years in prison and ordered the death penalty for two alleged protesters, [[Arash Rahmanipour]] and [[Mohammad Ali Zamani]]. Both men were arrested months before the June presidential election.

Rahmanipour’s lawyer [[Nasrin Sotoudeh]] told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that both the trial and the investigation that preceded it were deeply flawed<ref name=":1">http://www.iranhumanrights.org/2010/01/sudden-and-unannounced-execution-of-two-political-prisoners-audio-interview-with-attorney/</ref>

“He told me that during two interrogation sessions, his sister was brought into the room and seated opposite him. He was then told that if he wanted her to go free, he must confess to whatever he was told,” she said. “I was Arash's lawyer, but I was never allowed to participate in his trial. I insisted to be allowed to attend a trial session in August [2009] but security officers threatened to arrest me and confiscated my lawyer’s license, which they returned to me only later.”<ref name=":1" />

Sotoudeh said she was shocked that the two convicted men were executed in secret, and their families and lawyers informed only after the fact.<ref name=":1" />

Another controversial case was heard following the December 2009 protests over the election result, which coincided with the [[Shia]] holy day [[Ashura]].

Salavati sentenced 20-year-old student [[Mohammad Amin Valian]] to death on a single piece of evidence – the defendant's own confession that he threw three rocks during the unrest.

The extreme nature of the sentence led to an outcry from international and domestic human rights groups. On appeal, the death penalty was commuted to a three-year prison term, a decision which lends weight to the argument that the original judge, Salavati, was swayed more by political than judicial interests.

Another defendant convicted by Salavati, and released once he had served his term, said the judge seemed a little vague on the detail of charges, which in his case involved alleged contact with foreign organizations and meetings with political figures abroad.

“When I asked what foreign organization and which individuals [I met], he couldn’t even name them. I was accused of a range of charges but my entire court hearing lasted no more than eight minutes,” said the former prisoner, who did not want to be named. “From the nature of the court proceedings, you could tell the judge had already made up his mind. My appearance there with a lawyer was merely to uphold the pretence of due process.<ref name=":2">http://iwpr.net/report-news/irans-hanging-judge</ref>

Lawyers involved in such political cases believe Salavati merely signs off on the indictments brought by the intelligence agency, and agrees to the sentences they request.

“In none of these cases has there been enough evidence to justify even holding my clients in custody,”{{citation needed|date=May 2014}} said one lawyer. “No judge with any dignity would confirm such verdicts.”<ref name=":2" />

The decision to show clemency to 81 prisoners comes just ahead of the first anniversary of the disputed presidential election. It is clearly an attempt to show the Supreme Leader has a merciful side, in contrast to the harshness shown by judges like Salavati who in the space of about three months, presided over questionable trials and severe sentences including numerous applications of the death penalty.<ref>Iran's Hanging Judge, http://iwpr.net/report-news/irans-hanging-judge</ref>

In September 2014 he presided over the case of a man, [[Mohsen Amir-Aslani]], executed for [[Heresy]] for describing [[Jonah and the Whale]] as an allegory.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper = [[The Guardian]]|date = 29 September 2014|url = http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/29/iran-executes-man-heresy-mohsen-amir-aslani?CMP=twt_gu|title = Iran executes man for heresy|author = Saeed Kamali Dehghan}}</ref><ref name="MyUser_Jonathanturley.org_February_20_2015c">{{cite web |url = http://jonathanturley.org/2014/09/30/iran-executes-man-for-innovations-on-religion-and-insulting-job/|title = Iran Executes Man For "Innovations" On Religion And Insulting Job|newspaper = Jonathanturley.org|date = |author = |accessdate = February 20, 2015}}</ref>

On 1 June 2015, judge Salavati convicted the cartoonist [[Atena Farghadani]] to 12 years and nine months in prison. on the charges of "colluding against national security”, “spreading propaganda against the system” and “insulting members of the parliament” through her artwork. She had depicted Iranian government officials as monkeys and goats in protest of a draft law which would outlaw voluntary sterilization and restrict access to measures of birth control.<ref>https://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions/free-atena-farghadani-iran-prison-drawing-cartoons-artist</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = Satirical cartoonist to have 12 year prison term extended over handshake|url = http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/female-cartoonist-could-have-12-year-prison-term-extended-for-shaking-her-lawyers-hand-10492837.html|accessdate = 2015-09-11|date = 2015-09-09|website = The Independent|first = Matilda|last = Battersby}}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


{{authority control}}
{{Persondata

| NAME = Salavati, Abolqasem
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Iranian judge
| DATE OF BIRTH =
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salavati, Abolqasem}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salavati, Abolqasem}}
[[Category:Iranian judges]]
[[Category:21st-century Iranian judges]]
[[Category:Iranian people]]
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Iranian individuals subject to U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List]]

Latest revision as of 04:38, 14 December 2024

Abolqasem Salavati
Head of the 15th branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 December 2009
Appointed bySadeq Larijani
Preceded byMohammad Moghiseh
Judge of the Islamic Revolutionary Court
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 July 2002
Appointed byMahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Personal details
Born (1967-07-16) 16 July 1967 (age 57)
Tuyserkan, Iran
Alma materUniversity of Judicial Sciences and Administrative Services
University of Tehran
Nickname(s)Judge Salavati
Iran's Hanging Judge

Abolqasem Salavati (Persian: ابوالقاسم صلواتی) (born 16 July 1967)[1] is an Iranian judge and former head of the 15th branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran, Iran. In recent years, he had been the judge of numerous controversial cases.[2] He has been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union.

He is one of the judges whom human rights organizations have highlighted as being the instruments of a crackdown on journalists and political activists under the influence of Iran's intelligence and security apparatus. Besides Salavati, the other revolutionary court judges include Mohammad Moghiseh, former justices Yahya Pirabbasi and Hassan Zare Dehnavi (known as judge Haddad), judge of Court of Media, Bijan Ghasemzadeh, and appeal judges Hassan Babaee, Ahmad Zargar and Qazi Sadat. These judges are accused of overseeing miscarriages of justice in trials in which journalists, lawyers, political activists, and members of Iran's ethnic and religious minorities have been condemned to lengthy prison terms, lashes, and even execution.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

Career

[edit]

Iranian human rights and political activists call him Iran's Hanging Judge[9] along with Mohammad Moghiseh and Yahya Pirabbasi.

In September 2014 he presided over the case of a man, Mohsen Amiraslani, executed for heresy for describing Jonah and the Whale as an allegory.[10][11]

On 1 June 2015, judge Salavati convicted the cartoonist Atena Farghadani to 12 years and nine months in prison on the charges of colluding against national security, spreading propaganda against the system, and insulting members of the parliament through her artwork. She had depicted Iranian government officials as monkeys and goats in protest of a draft law that would outlaw voluntary sterilization and restrict access to measures of birth control.[12][13]

In November 2022, Salavati presided over the trial of Mohsen Shekari. Shekari was convicted of injuring a member of Iran's Basij militia during the Mahsa Amini protests. He was found guilty of drawing a weapon, with the intention of killing, causing terror and disturbing the order and security of society, as well as of Moharebeh (waging war against God). Shekari was sentenced to death despite Salavati having the choice to impose a lighter sentence, such as deportation.[14][15] Mohsen was 22 years old when he was executed by hanging on 8 December 2022.

Judicial rulings

[edit]

Source:[16]

  • Mohammad Gholamzadeh sentenced to 5 years imprisonment, charged with conspiring by participating in student assemblies.[17]
  • Supervised a preliminary session for several detainees of the Mahsa Amini protests, issuing charges for 315 people, including:[18]
    • Mohammad Ghobadlou and Saeed Shirazi charged with Efsad-E-Fel Arz, or loosely translated, as Corruption on Earth.
    • Saman Seyyedi charged with assembly and conspiring to act against national security.
    • Mohammad Boroughani charged with moharebeh.
    • Abdolfazl Mehri-Hossein Hajilou charged with opposing the Islamic government by setting a public transport vehicle ablaze.
    • Mohsen Rezazadeh Gharogholou charged with moharebeh, assembly, and conspiring to act against national security.
  • Mostafa Tajzadeh sentenced to a total of 8 years imprisonment, charged with assembly and conspiring to act against national security (5 years), distribution of false information (2 years), and advertising against the government (1 year). Tajzadeh's lawyer, Houshang Pourbabaee, tweeted that his client did not appeal the sentence and will be serving 5 years per law.[19]
  • Erfan Mobaraki was accused of espionage, collaborating with hostile governments and Efsad-E-Fel Arz, or corruption on earth, sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and execution. According to Tasnim News, he has been providing classified documents to European countries.[20]
  • Reza Eslami, professor of human rights at Shahid Beheshti University, sentenced to 7 years imprisonment and banned from teaching and leaving the country. Eslami had previously been accused of cooperating with the US against the Islamic Republic by hosting a workshop in the Czech Republic. He denies having any involvement with the US government, stating that the American party was an NGO and he was unaware of any affiliations between the NGO and the US government. 14 of his 15 students were pardoned; however, one person was referred to the general parquet on the basis of removing the mandatory hijab in Turkey.[21]
  • Kameel Ahmady, sentenced to 9 years imprisonment and a 60,000€ fine, charged with cooperation with the government of the enemy. He has allegedly been pushing for socio-cultural reforms, such as raising the minimum age requirement for marriage. According to Tasnim News, Ahmady had been in contact with several European embassies in Iran, had submitted a falsified report to the United Nations special rapporteur against the Islamic Republic, and traveled to Israel disguised as a BBC reporter.[22]
  • Hoda Amid, women's rights activist, sentenced to 8 years imprisonment, a 2 year limitation imposed on her social rights, and a 2 year ban from practicing law. She was charged with cooperating with the US government against the Islamic Republic on affairs pertaining to women and the family, according to section 508 of the Islamic Prosecution Laws.[23]
  • Najme Vahedi, women's right activist, sentenced to 7 years imprisonment, and a 2 year limitation imposed on her social rights. She was similarly charged as Hoda Amid, during the same court session, with cooperation with the US against the Islamic Republic.[24]
  • Emad Sharghi, an Iranian-American, sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, charged with espionage.[25]

Controversy

[edit]

Salavati is among the 32 officials sanctioned by the European Union in April 2011 who have committed human rights abuses after the 2009 disputed election.[26][27]

In December 2019, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Salavati for "censorship or other activities that prohibit, limit, or penalize the exercise of freedom of expression or assembly by citizens of Iran".[28]

A political prisoner's remark on Salavati

He [Salavati] is an awfully calm person and issues serious rulings, such as death sentences with a smile on his lips. His court sessions are very short, at times, as short as five minutes.

Ramin Chavoshi, Source

Personal life

[edit]

His daughter, Samaneh Salavati, is an artist. [29]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ https://spreadingjustice.org/fa/individual-violator/sj65036/ [bare URL]
  2. ^ Judge Salavati, Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1YGEtGLrU
  3. ^ Saeed Kamali Dehghan (31 July 2014). "Six judges accused of leading role in Iranian crackdown on free speech". The Guardian.
  4. ^ "Iran: Musician sentenced to five years in prison and 74 lashes". Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved Dec 12, 2020.
  5. ^ "فساد کلان مالی "بیژن قاسم‌زاده" او را به "بردگی" مقامات قضایی کشانده است". Gooya News. 18 February 2017.
  6. ^ "عماد بهاور، زندانی سیاسی اصلاح‌طلب، از زندان آزاد شد". رادیو فردا (in Persian). Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  7. ^ "عماد بهاور از زندان آزاد شد". خبرگزاری ایلنا (in Persian). Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  8. ^ "عماد بهاور آزاد شد". BBC News فارسی (in Persian). 2014-12-18. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  9. ^ "خانه حقوق بشر ایران منتشر میکند". Retrieved Dec 12, 2020.
  10. ^ Saeed Kamali Dehghan (29 September 2014). "Iran executes man for heresy". The Guardian.
  11. ^ "Iran Executes Man For "Innovations" On Religion And Insulting Job". Jonathanturley.org. 30 September 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  12. ^ "Free Atena, imprisoned for drawing cartoons in Iran | Amnesty International UK". Archived from the original on 2015-10-03. Retrieved 2015-10-02.
  13. ^ Battersby, Matilda (2015-09-09). "Satirical cartoonist to have 12 year prison term extended over handshake". The Independent. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
  14. ^ Engelbrecht, Cora (8 December 2022). "Iran Executes Man Over Nationwide Protests". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  15. ^ "ستون آخر این جدول را پر نکنید؛ چه کسانی با حکم اعدام مواجه هستند؟+ اسامی". اعتمادآنلاین (in Persian). 2022-12-08. Archived from the original on 2022-12-11. Retrieved 2022-12-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. ^ "BBC Home - Breaking News, World News, US News, Sports, Business, Innovation, Climate, Culture, Travel, Video & Audio". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  17. ^ Ardakani, A. [@Al_Sharifzadeh] [Tweet].Twitter. Retrieved 2022-1-7.
  18. ^ "دادگاه اغتشاشگران تهران برگزار شد؛ لیدر اغتشاشات پاکدشت که بود؟ + فیلم". Tasnim News Agency. 29 October 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  19. ^ Pourbabaee, H. [@HoushangPourba1] [Tweet].Twitter.
  20. ^ Abdollahi, Kian. "آخرین اخبار روز ایران و جهان ؛ خبرهای امروز | خبرگزاری تسنیم | Tasnim". www.tasnimnews.com (in Persian). Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  21. ^ "رضا اسلامی، شهروند ایرانی-کانادایی و مدرس حقوق بشر به ۷ سال زندان محکوم شد". Harana. 8 February 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  22. ^ ""کامیل احمدی" به ۹ سال حبس محکوم شد+عکس". Tasnim News Agency. 2020-12-13. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  23. ^ "محکومیت دو فعال حقوق زنان به مجموعا ۱۵ سال زندان". Iran Human Rights. 2020-12-13. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  24. ^ "محکومیت دو فعال حقوق زنان به مجموعا ۱۵ سال زندان". Iran Human Rights. 2020-12-13. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  25. ^ "تداوم بازداشت و بی خبری از وضعیت عماد شرقی شهروند دو تابعیتی". HRNA News Agency. 2021-01-18. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  26. ^ Erdbrink, Thomas (Apr 14, 2011). "EU ban 32 Iranian officials for human rights abuses". Retrieved Dec 12, 2020 – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  27. ^ "COUNCIL REGULATION (EU) No 359/2011" (PDF). eur-lex.europa.eu. 12 April 2011.
  28. ^ "Treasury Sanctions Two Judges Who Penalize Iranians for Exercising Freedoms of Expression and Assembly". home.treasury.gov. December 19, 2019. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  29. ^ "Judge Salavati's Daughter Samaneh Salavati".
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