Shahram Jazayeri Was Summoned to the Economic Affairs Judicial Complex

Photo: Satyar Emami / Fars News Agency · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 (cropped)

Shahram Jazayeri was summoned to Branch 1192 of the Economic Affairs Judicial Complex to answer new questions from the special judge appointed to handle his case.

Seyyed Mahmoud Hosseini Asl, head of public relations at the Economic Affairs Judicial Complex, told the legal reporter of the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) that, following a special directive from Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi to Judge Vahid Karbalaei Aghamaleki (head of the Revolutionary Court of the Economic Affairs Judicial Complex), the judge studied the case, took into account the views of experts and auditors, drew up new questions, and summoned Shahram Jazayeri to Branch 1192 for preliminary inquiries.

Some time ago, Jazayeri's defence lawyer had announced that Branch 20 of the Supreme Court had overturned his client's conviction and referred the case to an equivalent court of first instance. Seyyed Mohammad Sadegh Alemohammad said that, under this ruling, Jazayeri's conviction on the charge of disrupting the country's export system was overturned on the merits and referred to an equivalent court for a fresh hearing. Shahram Jazayeri faced three charges: disrupting the export system, for which he had been sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment; paying bribes, for which he received 3 years; and irregularities in obtaining a military service exemption card, for which he received 4 years.

Objections to the last two charges will be heard by the provincial appeal court. The Supreme Court did not rule on these two charges, so their review depends on the case being referred to the provincial appeal court. On the most serious charge, however, disrupting the country's export system, which we had challenged, the Supreme Court judges overturned the first-instance conviction.