Iran: DI Urgent Action: Halt the Execution of 12 Kurdish Political Activists

After the execution of the political activist Ehsan Fatahiyan on November 11, 2009, 12 political activists are facing the same fate. Almost all of them have been accused of being a mohareb ("enemy of God") and/or "endangering state security" and sentenced to death after unfair trials.

Names: Zeynab Jalaliyan (female), Shirkoh Moarefi (male), Habibollah Latifi [1] (male), Farhad Chalesh (male), Ramezan Ahmad (male), Rostam Arkiya (male), Fasih Yasamini (male), Rashid Akhkandi (male), Hossein Khaziri (male), Farzad Kamangar [2] (male), Ali Heydariyan (male) and Farhad Vakili (male)
Authorities: Iranian
Category: Death penalty / Prisoners of conscience / Arbitrary detentions / Fear of torture or ill-treatments

The case:
According to the information received on 13 November 2009, the political activist Mr. Shirkoh Moarefi has been transferred to the solitary confinement in preparation for execution.

Mr. Moarefi, aged 30, was detained in October 2008 in the city of Saqqz, in the Kurdistan Province of Iran. He has been convicted of being a mohareb ("enemy of God") and "endangering state security".
At least 12 political activists are feared to be at imminent risk of execution in Sanandaj prison. Almost all of them have reportedly been tortured and sentenced to death after unfair trials.

The prisoners are now on hunger strike in protest of the execution of Ehsan Fatahyian.

DI Views & Demands:

Defend International urges Iran to stop the execution of the political activist Mr. Shirkoh Moarefi and 11 others, and encourages the Iranian authorities to review death penalty in light of International Human Rights Law.
Defend International condemns the execution of Ehsan Fatahiyan [3] on the morning of 11 November 2009, and warns the authorities not to make the same mistake again.

DI campaign:
Please copy the following appeals, add your signature and address and send them to arrive as soon as possible.

With thanks and appreciation

Defend International

____________________


Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
USA
Fax: 212-963-7055
Subject: Please forward to His Excellency Ban Ki-Moon

Your Excellency,

I would like to draw your attention to the case of at least 12 Kurdish political activists feared to be at imminent risk of execution in Sanandaj prison in Iran. The prisoner’s names are: Zeynab Jalaliyan (female), Shirkoh Moarefi (male), Habibollah Latifi (male), Farhad Chalesh (male), Ramezan Ahmad (male), Rostam Arkiya (male), Fasih Yasamini (male), Rashid Akhkandi (male), Hossein Khaziri (male), Farzad Kamangar (male), Ali Heydariyan (male) and Farhad Vakili (male). Almost all of them have reportedly been tortured, convicted of being a mohareb ("enemy of God") and/or "endangering state security" and sentenced to death after unfair trials.

I affirm the necessity for an immediate intervention by the United Nations and the international community in order to halt these scheduled executions. I would also ask you to urge the Iranian authorities to immediately provide prisoners with medical attention, if needed, and to protect them from any further torture or ill-treatment.

I wish that the Secretary-General, in accordance with his mandate, will be able to prepare a report on the human rights situation in Iran. At such a time, the matter of Iranian nuclear weapons should not overshadow the human rights issues the people there are facing on a daily basis.

I would unite my voice with that of the General Assembly in its country-specific resolution on Iran adopted in November 2008, and call on Iran’s government to end the harassment, intimidation and persecution of political opponents and human rights defenders, including by releasing persons imprisoned arbitrarily or on the basis of their political views.

Iran should consolidate its commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights for all, on an equal footing and without exception. The Iranian authorities must take all necessary steps to ensure that being a member of minority ethnicity did not become the reason for criminal punishment, especially executions, arrests or detention. Human rights violations due to intolerance and other forms of discrimination must be thoroughly investigated and those responsible be held accountable.

I further condemn any action or attempt by Iran or its public officials to legalise, authorise or acquiesce in torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment under any circumstances, including on grounds of national security or through judicial decisions. I’d like to highlight that the UN Assembly had emphasized that acts of torture can constitute crimes against humanity and that the perpetrators of all acts of torture must be prosecuted and punished. Therefore, I call for a transparent and independent body to investigate allegations of torture and to prosecute those responsible for such violations.

Iran must take steps to reform its criminal justice system and to declare a moratorium on executions.

I hope for your urgent attention to this matter.

Respectfully yours,



________________________

Ms. Navanethem Pillay
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Email: [email protected]


Dear Commissioner,

I would like to draw your attention to the case of at least 12 Kurdish political activists feared to be at imminent risk of execution in Sanandaj prison in Iran. The prisoner’s names are: Zeynab Jalaliyan (female), Shirkoh Moarefi (male), Habibollah Latifi (male), Farhad Chalesh (male), Ramezan Ahmad (male), Rostam Arkiya (male), Fasih Yasamini (male), Rashid Akhkandi (male), Hossein Khaziri (male), Farzad Kamangar (male), Ali Heydariyan (male) and Farhad Vakili (male). Almost all of them have reportedly been tortured, convicted of being a mohareb ("enemy of God") and/or "endangering state security" and sentenced to death after unfair trials.

I affirm the necessity for an immediate intervention by the United Nations and the international community in order to halt these scheduled executions. I would also ask you to urge the Iranian authorities to immediately provide prisoners with medical attention, if needed, and to protect them from any further torture or ill-treatment.

I wish that the Secretary-General, in accordance with his mandate, will be able to prepare a report on the human rights situation in Iran. At such a time, the matter of Iranian nuclear weapons should not overshadow the human rights issues the people there are facing on a daily basis.

I would unite my voice with that of the General Assembly in its country-specific resolution on Iran adopted in November 2008, and call on Iran’s government to end the harassment, intimidation and persecution of political opponents and human rights defenders, including by releasing persons imprisoned arbitrarily or on the basis of their political views.

Iran should consolidate its commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights for all, on an equal footing and without exception. The Iranian authorities must take all necessary steps to ensure that being a member of minority ethnicity did not become the reason for criminal punishment, especially executions, arrests or detention. Human rights violations due to intolerance and other forms of discrimination must be thoroughly investigated and those responsible be held accountable.

I further condemn any action or attempt by Iran or its public officials to legalise, authorise or acquiesce in torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment under any circumstances, including on grounds of national security or through judicial decisions. I’d like to highlight that the UN Assembly had emphasized that acts of torture can constitute crimes against humanity and that the perpetrators of all acts of torture must be prosecuted and punished. Therefore, I call for a transparent and independent body to investigate allegations of torture and to prosecute those responsible for such violations.

Iran must take steps to reform its criminal justice system and to declare a moratorium on executions.

I hope for your urgent attention to this matter.

Respectfully yours,


________________________

The Universal Periodic Review UPR
Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Dear UPR Working Group,

I would like to draw your attention to the case of at least 12 Kurdish political activists feared to be at imminent risk of execution in Sanandaj prison in Iran. The prisoner’s names are: Zeynab Jalaliyan (female), Shirkoh Moarefi (male), Habibollah Latifi (male), Farhad Chalesh (male), Ramezan Ahmad (male), Rostam Arkiya (male), Fasih Yasamini (male), Rashid Akhkandi (male), Hossein Khaziri (male), Farzad Kamangar (male), Ali Heydariyan (male) and Farhad Vakili (male). Almost all of them have reportedly been tortured, convicted of being a mohareb ("enemy of God") and/or "endangering state security" and sentenced to death after unfair trials.

I affirm the necessity for an immediate intervention by the United Nations and the international community in order to halt these scheduled executions. I would also ask you to urge the Iranian authorities to immediately provide prisoners with medical attention, if needed, and to protect them from any further torture or ill-treatment.

I wish that the Secretary-General, in accordance with his mandate, will be able to prepare a report on the human rights situation in Iran. At such a time, the matter of Iranian nuclear weapons should not overshadow the human rights issues the people there are facing on a daily basis.

I would unite my voice with that of the General Assembly in its country-specific resolution on Iran adopted in November 2008, and call on Iran’s government to end the harassment, intimidation and persecution of political opponents and human rights defenders, including by releasing persons imprisoned arbitrarily or on the basis of their political views.

Iran should consolidate its commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights for all, on an equal footing and without exception. The Iranian authorities must take all necessary steps to ensure that being a member of minority ethnicity did not become the reason for criminal punishment, especially executions, arrests or detention. Human rights violations due to intolerance and other forms of discrimination must be thoroughly investigated and those responsible be held accountable.

I further condemn any action or attempt by Iran or its public officials to legalise, authorise or acquiesce in torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment under any circumstances, including on grounds of national security or through judicial decisions. I’d like to highlight that the UN Assembly had emphasized that acts of torture can constitute crimes against humanity and that the perpetrators of all acts of torture must be prosecuted and punished. Therefore, I call for a transparent and independent body to investigate allegations of torture and to prosecute those responsible for such violations.

Iran must take steps to reform its criminal justice system and to declare a moratorium on executions.

I hope for your urgent attention to this matter.

Respectfully yours,


________________________

Leader of the Islamic Republic,
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei,
The Office of the Supreme Leader,
Shoahada Street,
Qom,
Islamic Republic of Iran,
Faxes: + 98.21.649.5880 / 21.774.2228,
Email: [email protected] / [email protected] / [email protected]
Or via website: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter

Your Excellency,

By this letter I would like to express my deepest concern about the safety of at least 12 Kurdish political activists, all feared to be at imminent risk of execution in Sanandaj prison. Almost all of them have reportedly been tortured, convicted of being a mohareb ("enemy of God") and/or "endangering state security" and sentenced to death after unfair trials.

I urge you to commute the death sentence of Zeynab Jalaliyan (female), Shirkoh Moarefi, Habibollah Latifi, Farhad Chalesh, Ramezan Ahmad, Rostam Arkiya, Fasih Yasamini, Rashid Akhkandi, Hossein Khaziri, Farzad Kamangar, Ali Heydariyan and Farhad Vakili.

I would unite my voice with that of the General Assembly in its country-specific resolution on Iran adopted in November 2008, and call on Iran’s government to end the harassment, intimidation and persecution of political opponents and human rights defenders, including by releasing persons imprisoned arbitrarily or on the basis of their political views.

I urge Iran to consolidate its commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights for all, on an equal footing and without exception. Further, I urge the Iranian authorities to take all necessary steps to ensure that being a member of minority ethnicity did not become the reason for criminal punishment, especially executions, arrests or detention. Human rights violations due to intolerance and other forms of discrimination must be thoroughly investigated and those responsible be held accountable.

I further condemn any action or attempt by Iran or its public officials to legalise, authorise or acquiesce in torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment under any circumstances, including on grounds of national security or through judicial decisions. According to the UN Assembly, acts of torture can constitute crimes against humanity and the perpetrators of all acts of torture must be prosecuted and punished. I call for a transparent and independent body to investigate allegations of torture and to prosecute those responsible for such violations.

Prisoners with health problems must be treated without forced intervention.

I hope for your urgent attention to this matter.

Yours sincerely,


________________________

Head of the Judicial system of Iran,
His Excellency Ayatollah Sadeqh Larijani,
Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave.
Tehran,
Islamic Republic of Iran,
Email: [email protected]
Or website: http://www.dadiran.ir/tabid/75/Default.aspx


Your Excellency,

By this letter I would like to express my deepest concern about the safety of at least 12 Kurdish political activists, all feared to be at imminent risk of execution in Sanandaj prison. Almost all of them have reportedly been tortured, convicted of being a mohareb ("enemy of God") and/or "endangering state security" and sentenced to death after unfair trials.

I urge you to commute the death sentence of Zeynab Jalaliyan (female), Shirkoh Moarefi, Habibollah Latifi, Farhad Chalesh, Ramezan Ahmad, Rostam Arkiya, Fasih Yasamini, Rashid Akhkandi, Hossein Khaziri, Farzad Kamangar, Ali Heydariyan and Farhad Vakili.

I would unite my voice with that of the General Assembly in its country-specific resolution on Iran adopted in November 2008, and call on Iran’s government to end the harassment, intimidation and persecution of political opponents and human rights defenders, including by releasing persons imprisoned arbitrarily or on the basis of their political views.

I urge Iran to consolidate its commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights for all, on an equal footing and without exception. Further, I urge the Iranian authorities to take all necessary steps to ensure that being a member of minority ethnicity did not become the reason for criminal punishment, especially executions, arrests or detention. Human rights violations due to intolerance and other forms of discrimination must be thoroughly investigated and those responsible be held accountable.

I further condemn any action or attempt by Iran or its public officials to legalise, authorise or acquiesce in torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment under any circumstances, including on grounds of national security or through judicial decisions. According to the UN Assembly, acts of torture can constitute crimes against humanity and the perpetrators of all acts of torture must be prosecuted and punished. I call for a transparent and independent body to investigate allegations of torture and to prosecute those responsible for such violations.

Prisoners with health problems must be treated without forced intervention.

I hope for your urgent attention to this matter.

Yours sincerely,


________________________

President
His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
The Presidency, Palestine Avenue,
Azerbaijan Intersection,
Tehran,
Islamic Republic of Iran,
Fax: + 98.21.649.5880,
E-mail: [email protected]

Your Excellency,

By this letter I would like to express my deepest concern about the safety of at least 12 Kurdish political activists, all feared to be at imminent risk of execution in Sanandaj prison. Almost all of them have reportedly been tortured, convicted of being a mohareb ("enemy of God") and/or "endangering state security" and sentenced to death after unfair trials.

I urge you to commute the death sentence of Zeynab Jalaliyan (female), Shirkoh Moarefi, Habibollah Latifi, Farhad Chalesh, Ramezan Ahmad, Rostam Arkiya, Fasih Yasamini, Rashid Akhkandi, Hossein Khaziri, Farzad Kamangar, Ali Heydariyan and Farhad Vakili.

I would unite my voice with that of the General Assembly in its country-specific resolution on Iran adopted in November 2008, and call on Iran’s government to end the harassment, intimidation and persecution of political opponents and human rights defenders, including by releasing persons imprisoned arbitrarily or on the basis of their political views.

I urge Iran to consolidate its commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights for all, on an equal footing and without exception. Further, I urge the Iranian authorities to take all necessary steps to ensure that being a member of minority ethnicity did not become the reason for criminal punishment, especially executions, arrests or detention. Human rights violations due to intolerance and other forms of discrimination must be thoroughly investigated and those responsible be held accountable.

I further condemn any action or attempt by Iran or its public officials to legalise, authorise or acquiesce in torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment under any circumstances, including on grounds of national security or through judicial decisions. According to the UN Assembly, acts of torture can constitute crimes against humanity and the perpetrators of all acts of torture must be prosecuted and punished. I call for a transparent and independent body to investigate allegations of torture and to prosecute those responsible for such violations.

Prisoners with health problems must be treated without forced intervention.

I hope for your urgent attention to this matter.

Yours sincerely,


________________________

Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran,
Chemin du Petit-Saconnex 28,
1209 Geneva,
Switzerland,
Fax: +41 22 7330203,
Email: [email protected]

Your Excellency,

By this letter I would like to express my deepest concern about the safety of at least 12 Kurdish political activists, all feared to be at imminent risk of execution in Sanandaj prison. Almost all of them have reportedly been tortured, convicted of being a mohareb ("enemy of God") and/or "endangering state security" and sentenced to death after unfair trials.

I urge you to commute the death sentence of Zeynab Jalaliyan (female), Shirkoh Moarefi, Habibollah Latifi, Farhad Chalesh, Ramezan Ahmad, Rostam Arkiya, Fasih Yasamini, Rashid Akhkandi, Hossein Khaziri, Farzad Kamangar, Ali Heydariyan and Farhad Vakili.

I would unite my voice with that of the General Assembly in its country-specific resolution on Iran adopted in November 2008, and call on Iran’s government to end the harassment, intimidation and persecution of political opponents and human rights defenders, including by releasing persons imprisoned arbitrarily or on the basis of their political views.

I urge Iran to consolidate its commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights for all, on an equal footing and without exception. Further, I urge the Iranian authorities to take all necessary steps to ensure that being a member of minority ethnicity did not become the reason for criminal punishment, especially executions, arrests or detention. Human rights violations due to intolerance and other forms of discrimination must be thoroughly investigated and those responsible be held accountable.

I further condemn any action or attempt by Iran or its public officials to legalise, authorise or acquiesce in torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment under any circumstances, including on grounds of national security or through judicial decisions. According to the UN Assembly, acts of torture can constitute crimes against humanity and the perpetrators of all acts of torture must be prosecuted and punished. I call for a transparent and independent body to investigate allegations of torture and to prosecute those responsible for such violations.

Prisoners with health problems must be treated without forced intervention.

I hope for your urgent attention to this matter.

Yours sincerely,

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