Risen from Nothing!
The case of Amir Hossein Moradi, Saeed Tamjidi and Mohammad Rajabi became universally known after their death sentence was confirmed by the Islamic Republic Supreme Court for participating in anti-regime protests in nationwide November 2019 uprising! Millions from around the world with different backgrounds including human rights activists, politicians, governments of different countries, even US President Trump participated in #اعدام نکنید social media campaign to the point that Islamic Republic had to back off, even though temporarily, and granted retrial in their case!
At the time, nobody knew who Dr Babak Paknia was, but eventually he became more involved in high profile cases! In Navid Afkari‘s case where Khatami’s gang played a significant role in silencing the family and convincing or preventing them from publicizing the case, he sided with Mahmoudian and Baghi! Where logic and history say publicizing brutal sentences against peaceful protesters is their only chance in being saved, Khatami’s group keep families silent so they can do whatever they want!
Regime’s Attorney!
Paknia revealed his true intention and his mission on behalf of Islamic Republic intelligence apparatus in several occasions. In this article we briefly go through his actions which have led to nothing but silencing and harming political prisoners’ families!
- Amir Hossein Moradi, Saeed Tamjidi and Mohammad Rajabi signed a letter inside prison protesting their horrifying situation and announcing their hunger strike! The news circulated on social media, but immediately Paknia announced that’s not true and “my clients are not on hunger strike.”
- Defended Mehdi Mahmoudian and Emaddedin Baghi for not publicizing Navid, Vahid and Habib Afkari brutal sentences! “There’s nothing to criticize about Mr.Younesi and Mahmoudian.” And then: “I swear everybody involved in the case did whatever they could.”
- Shain Naseri, witness to Navid Afkari’s torture in custody went missing one day before Navid’s execution. Islamic Republic Judiciary said he was transferred to another ward due to COVID-19 situation in prison, and he’s not missing, that’s a lie! Babak Paknia tweeted “I’m available to take on his case. If you have access to his family, let them know to contact me.”
3 days later, he tweeted: “Based on Shahin Naseri’s family’s request, filed a motion to accept his case and delivered it to prison’s officials. They said he was in “Saadat ward”, tomorrow you can come and receive the motion. Today when my colleague went there, they told him Shahin has been transferred to NAJA Intelligence.” NAJA intelligence is where Navid was tortured for days!
As soon as Shahin Naseri’s case took some traction and people started talking about it, just like before, Paknia came to the rescue! “Shahin Naseri contacted his father-in-law 2 nights ago in a very short conversation, informing him of his physical health; however, we still don’t know where he is!”
He waited enough time for the news to make a wave, but not enough for it to become a problem for Islamic Republic. Just like the rest of the gang whom we explained before. On the other hand, he and Khatami’s gang in general, have become the sole source of information between several high profile cases and people. The corrupt and brutal regime can funnel whatever information it wants through these people!
The Only Communication Channel!
On September 28, he confirmed earlier news about Amir Hossein Moradi’s father.
“Unfortunately, Amir Hossein Moradi’s father committed suicide.”
Unsurprisingly, it sent shock waves through social media and everybody started talking about it. All knew it was Islamic Republic’s doing which has cost yet another innocent life. However, Mahmoudian, Paknia and their friends in high places had another idea! Even though Amir Hossein’s case has 3 attorneys, including his own sister, but “Dr Babak Paknia” is the only source of information! Therefore, he’s the one being interviewed by BBC Persian, the long time friends of Ayatollahs in Iran, to the point that it’s known as “Ayatollah BBC” among Iranians.
At the very beginning of this interview, Paknia calls Navid Afkari’s execution “performing ghesas (retaliation) sentence”, implying he was guilty! Then, he blames the loss of Naser Moradi on a “mysterious caller from abroad who has pressured Amir Hossein’s family into an interview, saying otherwise their son may have a similar fate as Navid Afkari and get executed in secret!”
Naser Moradi was under pressure by Islamic Republic intelligence agents since the #اعدام نکنید campaign went viral, all their phones and traffic must have been under surveillance. According to this “attorney”, an anonymous person calls from an international number, talks to the family, pressures them into an interview and has such a huge impact on Naser that in a despair moment he took his own life! A father who’s waiting for his son’s release and has even a glimmer of hope, won’t take his life just because a stranger told him otherwise.
In that interview, Paknia admits he has encouraged the family to stay quiet and let him handle the situation! He says he spoke with Amir Hossein’s cell mates in prison and told them to break the news to him very slowly! Afkari brothers, Vahid & Habib, have been in total blackout for more than 23 days, not able to tell their parents if they’re OK. Soheil Arabi, another political prisoner has been cut off from contacting his family and attorney for months at times. Arash Sadeghi has been in prison for years without permission to contact his wife who is also in prison!
In a system where families can’t talk to their loved ones for months, “Dr Paknia” contacted other prisoners without an issue! The lies and contradictions continue: He mentions, after Naser’s death news was released, there were some people at their house. The family calls him, he goes there, but before he arrives they were gone! Immediately after, he says: “They told me they were reporters, but I didn’t see any ID from them, so I asked them to leave.”
Babak Paknia is an “attorney” in a system which doesn’t allow politicial prisoners to choose their own lawyers. They have to select from a “pre-approved” list of lawyers confirmed by Chief of Judiciary! Blaming Naser Moradi’s death on an unknown caller from abroad has many messages! Firstly, inciting political prisoners’ families to stay quiet and only use this gang’s services. Secondly, take a jab at exiled activists and regime dissidents who have proven to be successful in pressuring the regime and being the voice of voiceless detainees in Islamic Republic’s prisons. Immediately after that interview, cyber army of the regime started to bash Masih Alinejad and others! Let’s not forget, Islamic Republic intelligence has been caught red handed using international phone numbers, introducing themselves as “journalists” to trick dissidents into revealing their identities!
At every point, the gang has to come off as the hero! They remain the only communication channel between prisoners and public! They’re regime’s way of saying: “Let the system does its job, with the help of our own lawyers, judge and prosecutor, we take innocent lives and you shouldn’t interfere!” The only way to break this vicious cycle is not to give them the platform, especially on social media, expose them and let families of political prisoners speak up for their loved ones without any intermediary. There is nobody independent in Islamic Republic’s Judiciary system, attorneys do not exist anymore!