The Supreme Court of Iran has overturned the death sentence of Abbas (Mojahed) Korkor (Korkori), a prisoner in Sheiban Prison, Ahvaz, and referred his case to a parallel branch for retrial.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, Korkor’s death sentence was annulled following a Supreme Court review prompted by legal appeals from his defense team.

A source close to Korkor’s family confirmed the development to HRANA, stating: “Korkor’s lawyers had separately filed requests for a retrial and invoked Article 477. After the Supreme Court accepted these requests, it reviewed the case and ultimately overturned his death sentence.”

In April 2023, Korkor was sentenced to death by Branch 1 of the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court on charges of “waging war against God (moharebeh) and corruption on Earth.” Although the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence in December 2023 and referred the case to the Execution Branch of the Izeh Court, the recent decision marks a significant reversal.

Korkor was initially held in solitary confinement at Sheiban Prison starting December 20, 2022, before being moved to Ward 8 in early August 2023.

The judiciary accused Korkor of involvement in the killing of Kian Pirfalak, a child who died during nationwide protests. However, Kian’s family has consistently denied these allegations, with his mother stating, “When we were returning home, security forces opened fire on our car.”

The court had charged Korkor with “disrupting public order, causing severe injuries and the deaths of seven individuals, including Kian Pirfalak, significant damage to public and private property, forming opposition groups, and engaging in armed rebellion against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

In January 2023, the Izeh prosecutor reported that judicial cases had been filed against 70 protesters involved in the November 16 protests, during which at least seven people, including Kian Pirfalak, were fatally shot by security forces.

While officials have described the November 16 events in Izeh as “terrorist attacks,” eyewitness accounts and testimonies from victims’ families directly contradict these claims.