An Islamic Revolutionary Guards' news agency is criticizing a court ruling in Iran that invoked the Sharia principle of retaliation in the case of a police officer who killed a protester.
The court case involves the police commander of Bandar Anzali, Jafar Javanmardi, who was unprecedentedly prosecuted for the killing of 27-year-old protester Mehran Samak.
Samak was fatally shot on November 29, 2022, during nationwide protests that coincided with celebrations over Iran's national football team's defeat by the US team. Reports suggest that Samak was participating in the protests by honking his car horn when he was shot in the head by agents of the regime in Bandar Anzali, located in northern Iran.
According to Samak’s family lawyer, the military court in the city of Qazvin reaffirmed what is known as a “Qissas” verdict against Javanmardi.
In the Islamic courts in Iran, "Qissas" is the principle of retributive justice under Sharia law, matching punishment to the severity of the crime, particularly in cases of homicide or bodily harm.
In this case, Javanmardi would have to be put to death after the latest military court ruling.
However, the IRGC-run Fars News Agency, expressed concerns about the ruling, claiming that given the circumstances of the incident, “occurring amidst a police operation and amid riots,” such a verdict could “undermine police effectiveness.”
Moreover, the news agency did affirm that Javanmardi was responsible for Samak's death due to what they described as "reckless bullet firing".
Fars further asserted, without citing specific sources, that judicial authorities have deemed the verdict against the defendant as "not final" and due to "numerous flaws," the case is slated for review.
The case of Samak's killing stands out as one of the very rare instances where a protester's death has led to the arrest and trial of a security-police official of the Islamic Republic.
While the protests claimed the lives of over five hundred demonstrators at the hands of Islamic Republic security forces, the regime has yet to be held accountable for such deaths.
Conversely, the government has executed several detained protesters on charges of killing security forces, highlighting a stark contrast in treatment.