Another innocent protester is set to be executed by the Islamic Republic. Mohammad Ghobadlou’s death sentence is confirmed by the regime’s Supreme Court on May 23, 2023, despite numerous contradictions and exculpatory evidence. This article uses evidence published by the IRGC affiliated and state media and proves Mohammad is innocent.
Mohammad Ghobadlou, 22, accused of “Efsad fil-Arz (spreading corruption on earth) through crime against persons’ body!” and “running over 6 special unit officers responding to protests in September 2022 in Parand City, killing one and injuring 5” received 2 death sentences! The first one by the “execution judge”, Abulqassem Salavati, in October 2022 for “Efsad fil-Arz” in Branch 15 of Islamic Revolutionary Court and the second one in December 2022 in Branch 1 of Tehran Criminal Court as “Qisas (retribution) for Farid Karampour” – member of “special units” responsible for brutal crackdown of protests – allegedly killed in September 2022 protests. The first sentence is still in limbo while the second one was confirmed.
However, like all other cases against dissidents, most recently “Khane Isfahan” case, Mohammad Ghobadlou is headed for gallows for no reason.
State media had reported Karampour died on September 21, 2022 after being run over by a “white Peykan (old Iran-made car)” in Parand City. These reports were published by several outlets including TasnimNews, IRGC Intelligence media, and in interviews with Karampour’s parents! However, in Ghobadlou’s court, the prosecutor changed it to Septemeber 22, again in presence of the “victim’s” parents.
What makes this discrepancy even more perplexing, is the only evidence from Valiasr Hospital: The patient was admitted on September 26 in a coma, due to an accident!
On October 2, 2022, TasnimNews in an interview with Farid Karampour’s father, revealed his previous injuries which makes their story even more sham! “Farid’s leg was injured due to an accident, and he had trouble walking. When he came back from Karbala, his commander, Hossein Allahmadad, told him to take more time off to feel better.”
More research shows that FarsNews, IRGC affiliated media, reported the incident happening on September 20, 2022 and Mohammad was arrested on September 23, three days after the incident and after being “identified and surveilled!” But, Mohammad Ghobadlou, in his court appearance on October 29, 2022, in front of Salavati, explains how he surrendered on the day of the incident:
Additionally, the video published by FarsNews on November 7, 2022, shows the incident happening on September 21, and a witness who spoke against Mohammad Ghobadlou in court, Alireza Bahrami, showing where Farid was found, on September 21! Therefore, Moahammad Ghobadlou could not have killed the same person once on September 20, once on September 21, and again on September 22 as the prosecutor claimed, and the same person shows up at the hospital on September 26 in a coma!
Furthermore, Amir Raeisian, Mohammad’s attorney, did not have access to the casefile until the court day and he was not allowed to represent him during his trial. He made it clear that the casefile is filled with contradictions. One of which is about Farid Karampour’s injuries. Raeisian tweeted: “According to the Medical Examiner’s office, there is no sign of any body injury, other than to his head…despite the fact that special unit officers always have a helmet on!”
He also tweeted a video from memorial of this “martyr!” where an official explains how he died, not even close to “a car accident!”
The story that state media is selling and Islamic Republic is using to murder Mohammad is very different from reality. Mohammad Ghobadlou is being railroaded like all other innocent dissidents before him. Farid Karampour that regime describes cannot be the same person whom Mohammad is being slayed for!
