Nayeb Askari, a political prisoner detained in Urmia Prison, has been re-sentenced by Branch 2 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court to 15 years in prison and a fine of 900 million tomans, following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn his prior death sentence and refer his case for retrial.
This updated sentence was issued last week by Branch 2 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court. According to HRANA’s sources, the fine was imposed on Askari as compensation for alleged damage to government property.
Initially, on April 15, 2023, Askari was sentenced to death in absentia and without legal representation by Branch 2 on charges of “enmity against God (moharebeh).” After he appealed, the court downgraded the charge from “moharebeh” to “armed rebellion (baghi)” but re-issued a death sentence in late October 2023.
Askari’s alleged membership in a Kurdish opposition party was cited as evidence supporting the charges in his case.
Arrested by IRGC intelligence agents on March 27, 2021, in Urmia, Askari was later moved to a detention facility and, on June 17, 2021, to Urmia Prison.
HRANA’s source reveals another ongoing case accusing Askari of the murder of IRGC member Mostafa Soltani. In 2013-2014, Soltani was injured during a clash with a political opposition party member, passing away six years later from COVID-19. Soltani’s family claims alleged Askari’s involvement in the altercation caused the sustained injury leading to his eventual death.
A new case, opened on July 12, 2021, based on a complaint from the Urmia Prison head, resulted in a three-month imprisonment extension and 50 lashes for “disrupting prison order.”
According to HRA’s annual report, in 2023, Urmia Prison officials executed 29 inmates, positioning this facility as the sixth highest in terms of executions among the ranked prisons.
