‎

Shahram Rafizadeh

A court in the province of Sistan and Baluchistan convicted student journalist Yaghoub ‎Mehrnahad to death. The verdict has shocked many in the region. ‎

On Monday, 22 Bahman, 1386 [February 11, 2008], the Amir Kabir New Bulletin reported, "a ‎court in Sistan and Baluchistan has convicted Yaghoub Mehrnahad, journalist and chairman of ‎the 'Youth Voice of Justice,' to death." According to this report, this Sistani journalist faced trial ‎in Zahedan last month without a lawyer or visitation rights with his family and his death verdict ‎was forwarded to his family last Thursday. ‎

Yaghoub Mehrnahad was arrested last spring along with his 16-year-old brother Ebrahim ‎Mehrnahad and four other members of the "Youth Voice of Justice" group. ‎

Yaghoub's colleagues, including his younger brother Ebrahim, all were released after spending ‎fewer than 3 months in jail. Yaghoub Mehrnahad, however, remains in detention since last ‎spring. ‎

The Amir Kabir News Bulletin reports that based on information received from social activists, ‎‎"in the last meeting between Yaghoub Mehrnahad and a family member, which took place 2 ‎months ago, signs of torture were apparent on Yaghoub's head, face and body, and he had lost ‎considerable weight." ‎

According to the same report, Yaghoub's family members believe that the court's real verdict is ‎not execution. They speculate that the court has issued this verdict in a bid to divert attention ‎from and cover up evidence of severe tortures undergone by Yaghoub while in detention. ‎