14-Year Prison Sentence for Abbas Drees; Death Sentence Under Review Again
28-June-2025
Category: Prisoners
27 June 2025
Category: Prisoners
Breathing in Confinement – The 14-year prison sentence for Abbas Drees, one of those arrested during the November 2019 protests, has been upheld, while his death sentence is currently under renewed judicial review.
According to Breathing in Confinement, the news outlet of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, the 14-year sentence was issued by the Criminal Court of Khuzestan Province for the charges of “complicity in murder” and “possession of a weapons.” However, under Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, only the most severe sentence — 10 years of imprisonment — is enforceable. It is noteworthy that the family of the deceased (Seyyadi) has expressed satisfaction and withdrawn their complaint.
In a separate case, Abbas Drees had previously been sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court of Mahshahr on charges of “enmity against God (moharebeh).” That death sentence was upheld in July 2023 by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court, presided over by Judge Ghasem Hosseini Kouhkamarei.
Following a request for retrial, the execution was suspended. However, the initial retrial request was later denied. A second request for retrial is now pending with the Supreme Court regarding the death sentence.
Abbas Drees, born in 1972 and a resident of Haraji in Bandar-e Mahshahr, was arrested during the November 2019 protests and is known to be a witness to the deadly events in the Mahshahr marshes. He is currently held in Bandar-e Mahshahr prison.