Clemency call for Kurdish law student facing execution in Iran on 26 December

Amnesty International today called on the Iranian authorities to halt the imminent execution of a Kurdish law student, scheduled for 26 December, and to commute his death sentence.

KHRP and Amnesty International have grave concerns about Iran’s impending executions of Kurdish Political Prisoners

Amnesty International has made a new call to the Iranian authorities to immediately halt all executions and commute all death sentences as concern grows about two women and other prisoners who may be at imminent risk of execution. The organization is also urging the authorities to review and repeal death penalty laws, to disclose full details of all death sentences and executions, and to join the growing international trend towards abolition.
Two women are feared to be at imminent risk of execution. Zeynab Jalalian, a political activist and member of the Kurdish minority , was sentenced to death in early 2009 after being convicted of “enmity against God”, while Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, whose conviction of “adultery while being married” was upheld in May 2007, could be executed by stoning at any time.
Prisoners on death row are often not informed when they are due to be executed until the last minute, adding to their suffering and that of their families. Sometimes their lawyers are not informed 48 hours in advance, as is required by Iranian law. Read more

Rest in Peace Shirin Alam Hooli

Ms. Alam Hooli (DOB: June 3rd 1981) was born in the village of Gheshlagh near the city of Maku in Iran. She was arrested in May of 2007 by the Revolutionary Guards in Tehran. She spent the first 25 days of her imprisonment in an unknown location under brutal physical and psychological torture. After that she was transferred to Section 209 of the Evin Prison where she was held in solitary confinement and subjected to brutal torture for six (6) months. After that she was transferred to the Women’s ward in the Evin Prison. Read more

Iran hangs five Kurdish activists convicted of bombings, membership of armed opposition groups

IRAN, — Iran hanged five members of a Kurdish “anti-revolutionary” group for various charges, including “moharebe” or waging war against God, the official IRNA news agency reported Sunday

Farzad Kamangar , Ali Haydarian, Farhad Vakili, Shirin Alam- Houli and Mehdi Eslamian were members of the Iranian Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) took up arms in 2004 for an ethnic homeland in northwest Iran [Eastern Kurdistan].
Kurdish teacher Farzad Kamangar hanged in Iran on Sunday.
“The five, including one woman, were hanged inside Tehran’s Evin prison Sunday morning … They confessed carrying out deadly terrorist operations in the country in the past years,” IRNA said. Read more

Amnesty International – Two Kurds at IMMINENT risk of execution, Iran

Hossein Khezri, a 28-year-old man, and Zeynab Jalalian, a 27-year-old woman, both members of Iran’s Kurdish minority, are feared to be at imminent risk of execution. Both were convicted of “enmity against God”, in separate cases, for membership of the Party for Free Life of Kurdistan.

Hossein Khezri was arrested in Kermanshah in 2008, held in detention facilities under the control of the Ministry of Intelligence and Revolutionary Guards, and was later sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court in Oromieh, north-west Iran, for “enmity against God” (“moharebeh”). His sentence was upheld in or around August 2009. He said he was tortured and asked for an investigation, but his request was denied in March 2010. On 11 April 2010, he was moved from Oromieh Central Prison to an unknown location, raising fears that his execution may be imminent. Read more

Execution of Hossein Khezri in Iran is imminent

Defend International (DI) has been informed of the imminent execution of Mr. Hossein Khezri, a political activist who was condemned to death after having been accused of being a “mohareb.” He will probably be hanged on April 14. 2010.

DI has sent urgent appeals to the Iranian authorities to halt this scheduled execution. In addition, appeals have been sent to the Council of Europe and the Commissioner for Human Rights to intervene.

Name: Hossein Khezri

Authorities: Iranian

Category: Death penalty / Fear of torture or ill-treatments

The Case:

Mr. Hossein Khezri, aged 28, was detained in the city of Urmiye, and according to the information received on 11 April 2010, he was transferred from Urmiye Prison to an unknown location prior to his execution. Moreover, all his personal belongings were taken away.

On July 31, 2008 Mr. Khezri was arrested in the city of Kermanshah. On July 11, 2009 he was convicted of being a mohareb (“enemy of God”) and “endangering state security.” While in prison, he has been subjected to torture and injured so badly that his eyesight has been affected severely. Read more

Rising Conflict in Iranian Kurdistan

One of the most under-reported human rights issues in Iran is the current state of Kurdish political prisoners, and in particular, the current eighteen political prisoners who are on death row and may be facing imminent execution. Unfortunately, serious consequences and escalated conflict may be imminent if the conditions continue to be ignored.

While a few of the individuals on death row such as Farzad Kamangar, Zeynab Jalaliyan and Habibollah Latifi, have received some international attention, most of the Kurdish political prisoners facing execution are virtually unknown. There are currently eighteen Kurdish political prisoners on death row, two of whom are women. All of these individuals were subjected to torture and “tried” behind closed doors in sham trials, and in most cases, without the presence of their lawyers. Read more

Letter from Farzad Kamangar sent to his mother

Below is a letter from Farzad Kamangar, A Kurdish teacher who was sentenced to death for alleged ties to the PKK. In his trial, which lasted seven minutes, neither Kamangar or his lawyer were allowed to speak.

Below is a letter Kamangar sent to his mother recently from Evin prison, where he is held in the political prisoner’s ward 209.

It’s a Strange Time, My Flower

Do not search for me mother
Do not utter my name in front of this prison
Do not search for me here
A star has fallen on your mane
Do not make it tired and tearful Read more

Farzad Kamangar Kurdish Teacher on Death Row Asks for New Trial

In a letter addressed to the Head of the judiciary, Farzad Kamangar, Kurdish teacher & human rights activist on death row asks for a new trail.

RAHANA Prisoners’ Rights Unit – Even his interrogators know Kamangar is an innocent man. They have even admitted to it in front of his lawyer. Still, 3 years after he was arrested, Farzad Kamagar sits in a cell in Tehran’s Evin Prison, awaiting his execution. No date has been set for his execution yet, but the events of the last 7 months and the recent executions of 2 other Kurdish political prisoners, puts him and 20 other Kurdish activists in serious danger of being executed at any moment. In a letter written from Evin and addressed to the head of the judiciary, Kamangar has described the details of his long investigation and his 7 minute trial, arguing that the entire process resulting in his guilty verdict has been unlawful. He has asked, Sadegh Larijani to use his power as the head of the judiciary and order a new trial. Read more

Iran executes PJAK-member

Xoy – In Iranian Kurdistan Fesih Yasemini of the rebel PJAK-movement was hanged.Fesih Yasemini was a member of the rebel group Party for Free Life in Kurdistan’ (PJAK), which has ties to the PKK. The ANF news agency says it’s likely that 14 other members of Kurdish political organization will be executed.

On 11 November 2009, the Komala member Ehsan Fetahiyan was executed. Several human rights organizations condemned the hanging of Kurdish activists and rebels before.

The New York Times reported that the flurry of executions and death sentences in Iran has raised concern that the government is using judicially sanctioned killing to intimidate the political opposition and quell pockets of ethnic unrest around the nation (Photo: ANF).

6 Janauray 2010   © Rudaw

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