The lawyer of an Iranian yoga instructor charged with "propaganda against the sanctities of Islam," has died during his trial at Tehran's Revolutionary Court.
Sora Askari-Rad, the lawyer representing Saeed Khademi, disclosed the death of his client on November 6, saying the 61-year-old died of a heart attack. Askari-Rad attributed the death to the intense psychological stress and anxiety experienced by his client in the courtroom,
Khademi faced the possibility of the death penalty under Iran's Islamic Penal Code if he had been convicted.
The Revolutionary Court, known for its harsh proceedings against dissidents and activists, has been described by Askari-Rad as a place of fear, even for legal professionals.
"Even for me, as a lawyer, the environment of the Revolutionary Court is terrifying, and Saeed Khademi was truly innocent and had done nothing wrong."
She insisted on Khademi's innocence, stating that the charges against him were unfounded and that his activities as a meditation and yoga instructor were wrongfully interpreted as anti-Islamic by the authorities.
Khademi's detention last year by the Revolutionary Guard's intelligence organization for a month was the first sign the regime was suspicious of his activities. The judiciary's Mizan news agency, while confirming Khademi's death, refrained from providing details about his identity or the exact specifics of the charges he faced.
Askari-Rad refuted any suggestions that Khademi had pre-existing health conditions that could have led to his sudden death, emphasizing that he was in good health prior to the trial.
The case has drawn attention to the issue of freedom of belief and the practice of nontraditional spiritual activities in Iran, which can be perceived as a challenge to the Islamic establishment.
Earlier this year, Iran executed two men who had been sentenced to death for using social media to promote "atheism and insulting religious and Islamic sanctities."
The executions of Yousef Mehrdad and Sadrollah Fazeli Zare were announced on May 8 by Mizan, which did not say when the two men were executed.
The rate of executions in Iran has been rising sharply, particularly in the wake of widespread protests that swept across the country last year following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody for an alleged head-scarf violation.
Amnesty International says the regime in Tehran executes more people than any other country in the world other than China.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a new report on November 2 that Iran was carrying out executions "at an alarming rate," putting to death at least 419 people in the first seven months of the year.