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Thread: Iran Capital Punishment News

  1. #31
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    Family 'Agonizing' Over Fate of U.S. 'Spy' Facing Death Penalty in Iran

    The family of former U.S. Marine and accused spy Amir Hekmati said that as Hekmati soon could face the death penalty at the hands of an Iranian court, the Iranian government has not given him a fair trial and has refused to respond to repeated, desperate pleas for answers.

    "Since his detention in August 2011 Amir's mother and family have made every conceivable effort to try to cooperate constructively with the Iranian government on the matter. Unfortunately our effort has been met with general silence and no reciprocity," the family said in a statement late Tuesday. "Our family has been forced to sit idly as Amir awaits an uncertain fate, defenseless behind closed doors."

    In the statement, the family said they have tried to hire at least 10 different lawyers to represent Hekmati, but he is only being represented by a government-appointed lawyer who did not meet Hekmati until the first day of his trial. The family also says they have tried to contact at least five different high officials in the Iranian government, including Iran's president and the country's representatives in the U.S., but "[their] pleas for basic human rights and due process for Amir have been unanswered."

    The American government also requested consular access to Hekmati in December through its Swiss representatives in Iran but Iran refused, according to the U.S. State Department. Hekmati could face the death penalty if convicted, according to several Iranian news outlets.

    Iran's Fars News Agency reported Tuesday that major court proceedings had ended and Hekmati's lawyer would provide "his last defense" before a verdict was reached. According to Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency, in court Hekmati "confessed to his crimes but claimed he had been deceived and had no intention of taking action against the country."

    Hekmati, an Arizona-born Iranian-American who served the U.S. Marines as a rifleman from 2001 to 2005, was arrested while visiting his extended family, including two elderly grandmothers, in Tehran on Aug. 29, 2011, according to the family. The family said they were urged by the Iranian government to keep quiet about his arrest with the promise of later release, but then in December, Hekmati was shown on Iranian television allegedly confessing to being an undercover agent of the Central Intelligence Agency on a mission to infiltrate the Iranian Intelligence Ministry.

    "It was their [the CIA's] plan to first burn some useful information, give it to them [the Iranians] and let Iran's Intelligence Ministry think that this is good material," Hekmati says calmly in the video.

    In an exclusive interview with ABC News shortly after the broadcast, Hekmati's father strongly denied his son was a spy and said the confession was forced.

    "My son is no spy. He is innocent. He's a good fellow, a good citizen, a good man," Hekmati said. "These are all unfounded allegations and a bunch of lies."

    http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/family...7#.TwR7RnJFvqE

  2. #32
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    Iran Secret Executions: Findings Challenge Judiciary’s False Narrative

    The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran published the 1st public list of 101 victims of secret group executions in Vakilabad Prison today. The Campaign called on the Iranian Parliament and judiciary to immediately institute a moratorium on executions and to move swiftly to abolish the death penalty.

    “Unfortunately, many of these executions happen behind closed doors, without the involvement of lawyers or awareness of the victim’s family, and without access to a fair trial,” said Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi.

    Ebadi added that Iran’s abuse of the death penalty has not been successful in fighting crime, saying:

    “The Iranian judiciary and government know that the death penalty is not a suitable solution for fighting crime, particularly drug-related crimes. The basic question is this: why does the Iranian government use this type of punishment with such enthusiasm? The issue is that these executions only create fear and intimidation and serve only a political purpose. All of the statistics show that while the number of executions have increased the number of drug-related crimes have not decreased at all.”

    On 21 December 2011, Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani, head of the judiciary, said “I categorically deny any secret mass executions… All executions are announced to my office…if anyone has information about executions anywhere that have been secret and without knowledge of families, let us know and we will investigate it.”

    The list published today by the Campaign reveals the names of 101 individuals who have reportedly been executed without official acknowledgement, between 9 June 2010 and 20 December 2010, in Vakilabad Prison. This list, accompanied by the briefing paper Iran’s Secret Hangings: Mass Unannounced Executions in Mashhad’s Vakilabad Prison, is the first time any identities of those secretly executed at Vakilabad have been made public.

    Local activists obtained this information under serious risk to their personal safety in order to lend more credence to past reports.

    “This statistic, in my opinion, and the opinion of other contributors to this report, is the baseline figure,” said renowned Iranian human rights activist Asieh Amini, who contributed to this report.

    “To me, the issue of executions is not a matter simply for one individual, one city, or one community. Nor is it an issue simply between the victims and their families. For us, executions is a national issue, and must be addressed widely … When the major human rights news is about Iran’s many unjust, secret, mass executions, it is the responsibility of every Iranian to ask of the judiciary, ‘why?,’ and to try to end this national shame,” she added.

    Iran is the world’s leading per-capita executor, following only China in absolute numbers. In 2011, Iran put to death over 600 individuals, at least 161 of which were in secret.

    The Campaign has documented 471 secret executions in Mashhad and other cities since January 2010. The actual numbers are likely much higher. The Campaign received this information from local sources and activists with access to government data.

    Executions are considered secret when they are not publicly reported by authorities and the victim’s family and lawyers have no prior knowledge that the sentence is set to be carried out.

    According to local activists the inmates secretly put to death in Vakilabad were unaware that they were scheduled for execution until just before its implementation. Prison authorities informed the individuals only hours before their execution that they had to write their wills and perform ritual cleansing in preparation for death.

    Prison authorities hung the inmates around dusk in an open-air hallway leading to the prison’s visiting room. Contributing to the shroud of secrecy surrounding the executions, the phones within Vakilabad Prison were disconnected hours before, preventing calls in and out of the prison.

    The bureaucratic efficiency of these hangings is exemplified by the fact that the medical examiner’s office issued many of the corresponding death certificates up to a day before the execution. Death certificates listed the cause of death as ghatl-e ghanooni or “legal murder.”

    The actual executions were witnessed by representatives of several government agencies including the Mashhad Prosecutor’s office, local and district police, the local judiciary, the Medical Examiner’s office, as well as Vakilabad’s warden and intelligence chief.

    Most of these executions are believed to have been carried out in the absence of international safeguards and fair trial standards.

    Sources in Mashhad described how many of these convictions came from rushed and unjust trials, marked by unfair and flawed judicial processes. On 18 August 2010, the nephew of one of the executed prisoners told the Campaign: “It took only two months from the time of the arrest to the implementation of [my] uncle’s sentence while he was not granted the right to a fair trial … the truth or inaccuracy of his [defense] was never even investigated.”

    Some of the inmates executed in Vakilabad were foreign nationals, including citizens of Afghanistan, Ghana, and Nigeria, and apparently did not have access to their diplomatic representatives. The large majority of those executed are believed to be from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

    Moreover, the vast majority of secret executions have reportedly been for drug crimes, for which capital punishment is not permissible under international law.

    When pressed, Iranian officials have publicly admitted that some of these secret executions had taken place. According to UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon’s March 2011 report on human rights in Iran, the Iranian government confirmed a 60-person group execution in Mashhad.

    The secret killing spree has elicited international concern and condemnation and was cited as a rights violation in the October 2011 interim report by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran.

    Article 6(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Iran ratified in 1975, mandates that “[i]n countries which have not abolished the death penalty, sentence of death may be imposed only for the most serious crimes.”

    The UN Human Rights Committee, the leading international authority on the ICCPR, and the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, have made clear that drug offences do not meet the “most serious crimes” standard. Therefore, Iran’s use of the death penalty for these offenses violates the government’s international obligations.

    Article 14 of the ICCPR guarantees all criminal suspects the right to a fair trial. Moreover, the UN Safeguards Guaranteeing Protection of the Rights of those Facing the Death Penalty makes clear that “[c]apital punishment may only be carried out pursuant to a final judgement rendered by a competent court after legal process which gives all possible safeguards to ensure a fair trial,” and that defendants must have access to multiple appeals.

    Worldwide, 96 countries, including Brazil, Turkey, and Rwanda, have formally abolished the death penalty, with another 34 countries, such as Kenya, Morocco, and Russia, ending its use in practice.

    “Iran has shown an inability to use the death penalty in a legal and accountable manner,” said Hadi Ghaemi, the Campaign’s spokesperson. “With skyrocketing execution numbers marred by unfair trials and opaque judicial proceedings, it’s time for Iran to institute a moratorium and join the growing trend towards abolition.”

    Source: Iran Human Rights, January 5, 2012

  3. #33
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    Iran sentences American man to death in CIA case

    An Iranian court has convicted an American man of working for the CIA and sentenced him to death, state radio reported Monday, in a case adding to the accelerating tension between the United States and Iran.

    Iran charges that as a former U.S. Marine, Amir Mirzaei Hekmati received special training and served at U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan before heading to Iran for his alleged intelligence mission. The radio report did not say when the verdict was issued. Under Iranian law, he has 20 days to appeal.

    The 28-year-old former military translator was born in Arizona and graduated from high school in Michigan. His family is of Iranian origin. His father, a professor at a community college in Flint, Michigan, has said his son is not a CIA spy and was visiting his grandmothers in Iran when he was arrested.

    His trial took place as the U.S. announced new, tougher sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, which Washington believes Tehran is using to develop a possible atomic weapons capability.

    Iran, which says it only seeks nuclear reactors for energy and research, has sharply increased its threats and military posturing against stronger pressures, including the U.S. sanctions targeting Iran's Central Bank in attempts to complicate its ability to sell oil.

    The U.S. State Department has demanded Hekmati's release.

    The court convicted him of working with a hostile country, belonging to the CIA and trying to accuse Iran of involvement in terrorism, Monday's report said.

    In its ruling, a branch of Tehran Revolutionary Court described Hekmati as a mohareb, an Islamic term that means a fighter against God, and a mofsed, or one who spreads corruption on earth. Both terms appear frequently in Iranian court rulings.

    In a closed court hearing in late December, the prosecution asked for the death penalty for Hekmati.

    The U.S. government has called on Iranian authorities to grant Swiss diplomats access to him in prison. The Swiss government represents U.S. interests in Iran because the two countries don't have diplomatic relations.

    Hekmati is a dual U.S.-Iranian national. Iran considers him an Iranian since the country's law does not recognize dual citizenship.

    His father, Ali Hekmati, and family friend Muna Jondy, an attorney who has been speaking on behalf of the family, did not immediately respond to emails and phone messages left at their offices before business hours Monday morning.

    Similar cases against Americans accused of spying have heightened tensions throughout the years-long standoff over Iran's nuclear program.

    Iran arrested three Americans in July 2009 along the border with Iraq and accused them of espionage, though the Americans said they were just hiking in the scenic and relatively peaceful Kurdish region of northern Iraq.

    One of them was released after a year in prison, and the other two were freed in September in deals involving bail payments that were brokered by the Gulf sultanate of Oman, which has good relations with Iran and the U.S.

    On Dec. 18, Iran's state TV broadcast video of Hekmati delivering a purported confession in which he said he was part of a plot to infiltrate Iran's Intelligence Ministry.

    In a statement released the same day, the Intelligence Ministry said its agents identified Hekmati before his arrival in Iran, at Bagram Air Field in neighboring Afghanistan. Bagram is the main base for American and other international forces outside Kabul, the Afghan capital.

    It is not clear exactly when he was arrested. Iranian news reports have said he was detained in late August or early September.

    Hekmati's father, Ali, said in a December interview with The Associated Press, that his son was a former Arabic translator in the U.S. Marines who entered Iran about four months earlier to visit his grandmothers.

    At the time, he was working in Qatar as a contractor for a company "that served the Marines," his father said, without providing more specific details.

    Read More: http://wcfcourier.com/news/world/mid...#ixzz1ixdtMnpc

  4. #34
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    White House slams Iranian death sentence for American accused of spying

    WASHINGTON - The Obama administration flatly rejected Monday that a young Iranian-American man used a family trip to Iran as cover for espionage, after Iran issued the first death penalty against a U.S. citizen since the Islamic Revolution 33 years ago.

    The United States suggested the decision was a political ploy.

    In a case that will surely heighten tensions with Tehran, Iran charged Amir Mirzaei Hekmati with receiving special training and serving at U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan before traveling to Iran on an intelligence mission. A court convicted him of belonging to the CIA and trying to incriminate Iran in terrorist activity, according to a state radio report Monday.

    The United States denied the accusations. The State Department called them a "complete fabrication," and White House spokesman Tommy Vietor added that "allegations that Mr. Hekmati either worked for or was sent to Iran by the CIA are false."

    "The Iranian regime has a history of falsely accusing people of being spies, of eliciting forced confessions, and of holding innocent Americans for political reasons," Vietor said in a statement.

    The case sheds light on the legal but risky travel of U.S. citizens to Iran, common among many first-generation and second-generation Iranian-Americans but a practice largely hidden to the larger American populace. Thousands are believed to make the trip each year, although the State Department lacks firm figures because people must travel through third countries, and most dual nationals enter the Islamic republic using Iranian passports.

    The State Department has warned that U.S.-Iranian citizens are not necessarily safer than others from the threat of arbitrary arrest. Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the U.S. has issued a series of travel warnings for Americans, with specific references to those holding both U.S. and Iranian citizenship.

    "We urge Iranian-Americans to take particular care," Nuland told reporters. Because Iranian authorities do not recognize dual citizenship, they treat any such people arrested as they would other Iranians. The latest U.S. travel warning says Iranian-Americans face "the risk of being targeted" by Tehran and notes that "Iranian authorities have detained and harassed U.S. citizens of Iranian origin."

    The 28-year-old Hekmati is a former military translator who was born in Arizona and graduated from high school in Michigan. His family is of Iranian origin, and Hekmati claims dual citizenship. His father, Ali, a professor at a community college in Flint, Michigan, has said his son was visiting his grandmothers in Iran.

    The Marine Corps said Amir Nema Hekmati served between 2001 and 2005, including a deployment to Iraq in 2004 and a stint at the military language institute in Monterey, California. The Marine records do not indicate any deployment to Afghanistan. It was not clear why the middle name was listed differently.

    Behnaz Hekmati, Amir's mother, said in an email to The Associated Press that she and her husband are "shocked and terrified" that their son has been sentenced to death. The verdict is "the result of a process that was neither transparent nor fair," she said.

    Her son did not engage in any acts of spying, or "'fighting against God,' as the convicting judge has claimed in his sentence," she said. "Amir is not a criminal. His very life is being exploited for political gain."

    He said he had also worked for the military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and for Kuma Games, which he described to state TV as "a computer games company which received money from CIA to design and make special films and computer games to change the public opinion's mindset in the Middle East and distribute them among Middle East residents free of charge. The goal of Kuma Games was to convince the people of the world and Iraq that what the U.S. does in Iraq and other countries is good and acceptable."

    The company's website describes it as a specialist in episodic games, in which the story line of ongoing games develops like television episodes. Several of its products are war-themed.

    Espionage charges against Hekmati are similar to previous prosecutions against Americans who were sentenced to jail time and later freed, including an Iranian-American journalist in 2009 and three U.S. citizens detained along the Iraq border. Iranian prosecutors, however, had stressed Hekmati's links to the U.S. military in calling for capital punishment.

    State Department officials said they were unaware of any previous death penalty sentence to an American in Iran.

    Nuland said officials still were trying to learn details of the sentence. If Hekmati indeed was sentenced to death, she said, the U.S. would condemn the verdict "in the strongest terms." But she refused to comment on what other measures the U.S. might take in response.

    Iran and the United States currently are locked in a period of intense hostility, a situation that augurs poorly for a quick release for Hekmati.

    The Obama administration has approved new sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear enrichment program, specifically targeting the Islamic republic's central bank and its ability to sell petroleum abroad, although the sanctions have yet to come into force. Iran has responded with warnings to American vessels against entering the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway that carries to market much of the oil pumped in the Middle East.

    With the two countries also at odds over allegations that Iran has supported international terror, American officials worry that Hekmati's case may become a political tool for the Iranian government.

    Having imposed the worst possible sentence immediately, Iran could now seek to drag the case out. In past cases Iran has held out the possibility of releasing American prisoners on humanitarian grounds, presumably in the hope of gaining a counter-concession from Washington. September's release of a pair of American hikers held captive by Iran for two years is the most recent example.

    Obama approved the new U.S. sanctions against Iran on New Year's Eve, despite his administration's fears they could lead to a spike in global oil prices or cause economic hardship on American allies in Europe and Asia that import petroleum from Iran.

    The measures affect foreign financial institutions doing business with Iran's central bank by barring them from doing business in the United States. They would apply to foreign central banks as well for transactions related to petroleum.

    The sanctions will not take effect for six months. The president also can waive them for national security reasons or if the country in question significantly reduces its purchases of Iranian oil. The State Department says it is trying to implement the law in a way that maximizes pressure on Tehran while causing minimal disruption to the U.S. and its allies.

    The White House said the U.S. would work with its diplomatic partners "to convey our condemnation to the Iranian government."

    Swiss diplomats, acting on behalf of the United States because Washington and Tehran have no diplomatic relations, have tried unsuccessfully to gain consular access to Hekmati. Because Iran does not recognize Hekmati's U.S. citizenship, it has refused to grant access.

    Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/poli...#ixzz1j3rShAgZ

  5. #35
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    Hekmati has 20-day death penalty appeal

    Amir Mirzaie Hekmati, an American sentenced to death in Iran on charges of spying, has 20 days to appeal his case, Iran's judiciary said.

    Hekmati's family has hired an attorney who has had success in negotiations with Iranian officials to work on the case, CNN said.

    "We're prepared to open up a line of communication with the government," attorney Pierre Prosper said. "Our hope is that they will talk with us."

    The government-backed Iranian Student's News Agency reported judiciary spokesman Mohseni Ejeie said, "If the sentence is appealed, then the Court of Appeals will hear the case. If not, then the sentence is final."

    http://dalje.com/en-world/hekmati-ha...-appeal/407941

  6. #36
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    Iran changes law for execution of juveniles

    Feb 10 – Iran has changed the controversial law of executing juveniles the spokesman of the judiciary commission of the parliament said on Friday.

    Amin-Hossein Rahimi, lawmaker from Malayer said that according to the new Islamic Penalty law which was approved by the Guardian council death penalty of juveniles under the age of 18 has been changed.

    Iran has angered many international organizations and countries for carrying out execution on minors in the past 30 years.

    Based on the Islamic law which now seems to have been revised, girls at the age of 9 and boys at 15 of lunar year (11 days shorter than a solar year) were fully responsible for their crimes.

    “In the new law the age of 18 (solar year) is for both gender and offenders under the age would be considered as juvenile and would be sentenced on a separate law than of adults”, he was quoted as saying./-

    http://www.iranwpd.com/index.php?opt...iles&Itemid=64

  7. #37
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    Tehran to abandon death by stoning

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    Iran has amended its penal code by removing all executions by stoning and ending the death penalty for juvenile offenders.

    Under the old penal code, stoning to death was one of the sentences applied for adultery. Iranian activists who campaigned against the practice said at least 99 men and women have been executed by stoning since 1980.

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    Iran leads the world in the number of juveniles it executes, says Human Rights Watch, a US based pressure group. In its 2012 world report, the organisation said more than a hundred under-18s were believed to be on death row. Iran executed at least three minors in 2011.

    Iran’s domestic media have reported that the guardian council, the constitutional watchdog which ensures the country’s laws do not contradict sharia, or Islamic law, has given its approval to the reforms.

    The new law is expected to be enforced “soon”. “The changes are major and definitely positive because they make the penal code closer to modern rules, give it a logical order and moderate its deficiencies,” said a prominent lawyer.

    Iran has a poor human rights record. Execution remains the main penalty for murder, adultery, homosexuality, drugs smuggling, armed action and any action deemed to be aimed at disrupting the country’s political, economic and social order.

    The US, European Union and the UN have put pressure on Iran to observe the rights of criminals, politicians, human rights activists and journalists.

    The UN last year appointed Ahmed Shaheed of the Maldives as special rapporteur on human rights to Iran, although so far he has been denied access to the country. The US and EU have imposed travel bans on Iranian officials who, they say, violate human rights.

    The UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, said, in a report in September, he was “deeply troubled by reports of increased numbers of executions, amputations, arbitrary arrest and detention, unfair trials, torture and ill-treatment”.

    Despite the pressure, the Islamic regime shows no significant flexibility toward its political prisoners and continues to suppress its opponents. In an effort to contain political dissent before an opposition march on Tuesday, about 30m Iranian internet users, many of whom have resorted to cyberspace to express their dissent, have had difficulties accessing Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo mail as well as foreign websites since last Thursday.

    Tehran has instead tried to improve its human rights record by amending penalties for ordinary crimes.

    In a non-binding circular issued about 10 years ago, Iran’s judiciary urged judges to avoid issuing death sentences by stoning and instead stick to hanging, while the death sentences against minors, were in most cases not carried out until the offenders had reached the age of 18. Human rights organisations argued that such measures were inadequate and insisted real change in the law was necessary.

    The stoning sentence against Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 45-year-old woman, on charges of adultery and murder led to an international outcry which has made the regime delay carrying out the sentence. She remains in jail in the northwestern city of Tabriz, capital of East Azerbaijan province.

    The prosecutor-general of the province said last month that Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, the judiciary chief, had authorised hanging instead of stoning “because the main goal is execution”.

    Malek Azhdar Sharifi added that the hanging sentence would be carried out when final approval “after consultations amongst jurisprudents” was issued from Tehran.

    http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0b17bd2a-5...#axzz1mC908aAz

  8. #38
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    IRAN HUMAN RIGHTS PRESENTS:

    ANNUAL REPORT ON THE DEATH PENALTY IN IRAN- 2011


    Iran Human Rights, March 1: As the Iranian authorities continue the crackdown of the dissidents and the civil society, Iran Human Rights (IHR) presents its annual report on the death penalty in 2011 in Iran. The report was presented in press conferences at the Italian Senate, Paris City Hall and University of Oslo las week.

    Introduction:

    The execution wave that began after the June 2009 post-election protests in Iran is still going on with high frequency . According to the present report, the execution figure in 2011 was the highest reported since the beginning of 1990’s.

    Iranian authorities continue executing several hundred prisoners each year in the pretext of fighting drug-trafficking. Among those executed for drug trafficking in 2011 we find alone mothers of dependent children, who were subjected to unfair trials and executed and those whose families do not even afford to pay the expenses for their funeral.

    What distinguishes the 2011 report from previous years is the dramatic increase in the number of public executions. The number of executions carried out publicly in 2011 in Iran is more than three times higher than the average in the previous years.

    There is no indication that the Iranian authorities’ execution machine will slow down in 2012. In the first two weeks of January 2012, an average of 3-4 people have been executed in Iran every day. By the end of January 2011, 11 executions have been carried out publicly.

    At the same time, Iranian authorities are threatening to execute more people for other “crimes”. The Iranian Supreme Court has recently approved the death sentence of Iranian-born Canadian permanent resident Saeed Malekpour for running “obscene” websites. He is now at imminent danger of execution.

    Iranian pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, who converted to Christianity at the age of 19 and who was sentenced to death for Apostasy in 2010, might also be in danger of execution. There is serious concern that approval of the new Islamic Penal Code (IPC) by the Guardian Council might lead to more death penalties for Apostasy.

    Iran Human Rights is also concerned about reports indicating Kurdish political prisoners Zanyar and Loghman Moradi might be in danger of execution.

    There are also indications that Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani- the 43-year-old mother of two whose stoning death sentence was stopped, thanks to a worldwide campaign- might be in danger of execution.

    Recently, an Iranian judge has indicated that the stoning verdict for Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani can be converted to death by hanging.

    Commenting on this report, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of IHR said: “There is little doubt that the Iranian authorities use the death penalty as a political mean. The dramatic increase in the number of executions shows that the Iranian regime is more than ever dependent on spreading fear to prolong its survival. Death penalty in general and public executions in particular- are the Iranian regime’s most important instrument for creating fear in the society.” He added: “We urge the international community to put sustainable focus on the human rights violations and particularly on the death penalty in Iran, and take further steps to stop the Iranian regime’s execution machine.”

    The figures included in this report are mainly based on information announced by the Iranian authorities. However, some figures are based on reports from reliable unofficial sources. During the past two years IHR has concluded that the number of the executions not announced by the official Iranian sources is much higher than previously anticipated. A significant portion of the unofficial figures included in this report has been prepared thanks to the individuals in Iran who, despite all the risks, have contributed with invaluable information to make the report somehow closer to the reality. IHR must emphasize that the actual number of the executions in Iran is probably much higher than the figures included in its annual report.

    Sources

    The present report uses the Iranian authorities as its main source. 62% of the executions reported here are based on the news published by state-run media news agencies and newspapers and the statements made by high-ranking officials within the Iranian judiciary. Like last year, IHR has received reports on large numbers of executions that have not been announced by official Iranian sources. Many cases are directly communicated to IHR (though a direct witness, family member, lawyer, or key sources within the Judiciary) or reached us through other human rights organizations. The annual report only includes non-official cases which have been confirmed by at least two different independent sources.

    Some facts:

    • At least 676 people were executed according to IHR’s annual report 2011

    • 416 of the 676 executions (62%) were announced by the Iranian authorities

    • 65 executions were carried out in public. This is the highest number of public executions in more than 10 years.

    • At least 4 juvenile offenders were among those executed in Iran in 2011

    • At least 15 women were executed in 2011. Executions of 13 of these women were not announced by the Iranian authorities

    • 3 young men were executed convicted of sodomy

    • One man was executed convicted of “apostasy”

    • More than 80% of those executed were convicted of drug trafficking

    • Only 9% of those officially executed for drug charges were fully identified

    • IHR has received reports of secret or “un-announced” executions in more than 15 different Iranian prisons

    • More than 70 additional executions reported to IHR, are not included in the annual report due to difficulties in confirming some of the details

    2011: The highest number of annual executions in the past 11 years Sources: Amnesty International (AI) and Iran Human Rights (IHR):

    • 2000: 165 (AI)

    • 2001: 75 (AI)

    • 2002: 316 (AI)

    • 2003: 154 (AI)

    • 2004: 108 (AI)

    • 2005: 94 (AI)

    • 2006: 177 (AI)

    • 2007: 317 (AI)

    • 2008: 350 (IHR), (346; AI)

    • 2009: 402 (IHR), (388; AI)

    • 2010: 546 (IHR) (adjusted to 646)*

    • 2011: 676 (IHR) : Official: 416 non-official: 260

    * 100 of the 140 executions in the province of South Khorasan (Birjand) that were confirmed by the Iranian officials have been added to the 2010 numbers











    Drug trafficking:

    As in previous years drug trafficking was the most frequently used charge against those who were executed in 2011 in Iran. 81 % of those executed in 2011 (71% of the official and 88% of the unofficail cases) in Iran were convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to death by the revolutionary courts. The trials were conducted behind the closed doors and it is not known whether the prisoners had access to lawyer or not. Since more than 80% (91% of the official and 81% of the unofficial cases) of those executed for drug-related charges are not identified by last (family) name it is not possible to confirm the charges. In 2011, there was at least one person who was primarily arrested sentenced to death for participation in anti-regime protests, but was later executed convicted of drug trafficking (see Case 2, below). IHR can not rule out that there might be other similar cases among those executed for drug trafficking.

    The figures presented in this report are in line with the report published by Amnesty International in December 2011 (Amnesty International report: Addicted to death).

    IHR has received reports indicating that many of those executed convicted of drug trafficking have not been subjected to fair trials.

    Case 1:Executed for drug trafficking:

    Three women - Leila Hayati, Hourieh Sabahi and Roghieh Khalaji- and two men- Mostafa Ahmadi and Ghanbar Shojaei- were arrested in January 2009 and charged with keeping and trafficking of narcotic drugs. They had no access to lawyer during their interrogations and were tried and sentenced to death by Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court in Hamedan, with no right to appeal. Laila Hayati was executed on September 28 while the four others were executed on October 8. None of the executions were announced by the official Iranian sources.

    Hourieh Sabahi (35) was alone mother of five children, one of them being disabled, and Roghieh Khalaji (32) was alone mother of a 12-year-old son and a 10-year-old daughter when they were arrested. Hourieh’s family didn’t even have the money to pay for her funeral after her execution. These are only some examples among the several hundred who were executed for “drug trafficking”.
    Case 2: Arrested after a protest demonstration but executed for drug trafficking



    Execution for sodomy:

    Six young men were executed in Ahvaz on September 5. The state run Iranian news agency ISNA reported that three of those executed were sentenced to death by the Ahvaz evolution court, convicted of "unlawful" acts and acts against Sharia, based on the articles 108 and 110 of the Iranian Islamic penal code.

    Articles 108 and 110 of the Iranian Islamic Penal code are part of the chapter covering the punishment of "Hadd" for “sodomy”. Article 108 says: “sodomy” (or Lavat) is sexual intercourse between men”, and article 110 says:”Punishment for sodomy is killing; the Sharia judge decides on how to carry out the killing". The spokesperson of Iran Human Rights (IHR), Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, said:”(these) executions for sodomy might be among the rare cases were the Iranian authorities admit to having executed men convicted of homosexual acts". He added: "Iranian authorities normally present such cases as rape, but rape as not been mentioned in this case".

    There have been some changes made in the new IPC recently approved by the Guardian Council. The term “homosexual” is presented as a charge in the new law for men who engage in same-sex relations. Previously it was only used for women.

    ***

    Punishment for homosexuality is flogging or death under Iran’s new Islamic Penal Code:

    Article 233: the person who played an active role (in sodomy) will be flogged 100 times if the sex was consensual and he was not married, but the one who played a passive role will be sentenced to death regardless of his marriage status. If the active part is none Muslim and the passive part Muslim, both will be sentenced to death.

    Articles 236-237: Homosexual acts (except for sodomy) will be punished with 31 -99 lashes (both for men and women)

    Article 238: Homosexual relationship between women where there is contact between their sexual organs will be punished with 100 lashes

    ***

    Moharebeh:

    Moharebeh (war against God) is a term commonly used by the Iranian authorities for those who are either involved in armed struggle against the authorities or have connections with such groups. Some of those who were convicted of Moharebeh through connection with the banned opposition groups are named below:

     Jafar Kazemi and Mohammad Ali Haj Aghaei: Both convicted of Moharebeh through connections with the banned organization Mojahedin-e-Khalgh ( MEK/MKO). They had allegedly visited their children who were staying at Camp Ashraf, participated in the post-election protest demonstrations and sent pictures and reports of the demonstrations to MKO sources outside the country. They were executed in Tehran’s Evin prison on January 24.

     Hussein Khezri, convicted of Moharebeh through membership in the banned Kurdish organization PJAK. He was executed on January 15. in the prison of Urmia

     Farhad Tarom was executed for membership in the Kurdish Democratic Party on January 26. in the prison of Urmia


    Apostasy:


    The sentence of Apostasy in Sharia is death, but Apostasy is not explicitly mentioned in the new IPC. However, the new law makes it easier for judges to issue the death penalty for Apostasy because the new article 220 states: “If the present law is silent about any of the “hodoud” cases, the judge is referred to article 167 of the Constitution.” Article 167 of the Constitution states: "The Judge is bound to attempt to rule on each case, on the basis of the codified law. In case of the absence of any such law, he has to deliver his judgment on the basis of official Islamic sources and authentic fatwa.” The reference to article 167 was previously made in the Civil code but now it is also included in the Penal Law.

    Executions of minor offenders:

    Iran continued executions of juvenile offenders in 2011. At least four people were convicted of offences they had allegedly committed when they were under the age of 18. Two of them were under 18 years of age at the time they were executed. Two other juvenile offenders were executed in 2011 according to unofficial sources but IHR hasn’t confirmed their age yet.

    1. Alireza Molla-Soltani (17): Convicted of murder, Alireza Molla-Soltani was hanged publicly on September 21, 2011 when he was still 17 years old. Source: Iranian media




    2. A. N. : Convicted of rape and murder in 2008 when he was 17 years old. Hanged publicly together with three others in Bandar Abbas on April 21. Source: Iranian media

    3. H. B.: Involved in the same case as A.N., was 17 years old at the time committing the offence. Hanged publicly together with three others in Bandar Abbas on April 21. Source: Iranian media

    4. Hamid Hashemi (16):
    Belonging to the Arab minority in Ahwaz, was according to Ahwaz news executed in the prison of Ahwaz together with five others allegedly because of participating in a protest. Source: Ahwaz news, Unofficial

    5. Vahid M.: Executed for drug trafficking on September 18 according to the state run ISNA news agency. Full name: Vahid Moslemi, Afghan citizen who according to the rights group “Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran” (HRADI) was a juvenile when arrested (age not yet confirmed by IHR)

    6. Mohammad N.: Executed together with Vahid M. and 20 other prisoners on September 18 (ISNA). Full name: Mohammad Nourozi, Afghan citizen and juvenile when he was arrested according to HRADI (age not yet confirmed by IHR).

    ***

    Iran has ratified UN convention on the rights of the child which bans death penalty for the offences committed at under 18 years of age. But according to the IranianIslamic penal the minimum criminal age I 9 years for girls and 15 years for boys. In the new IPC that was recently ratified by the Guardian Council some changes have been made with regards to death penalty for juveniles. However, according to the article 90 of the new law a death sentence may still be applied for a juvenile who has reached “maturity”, if he or she has committed crimes that are considered to be "claims of God" and therefore have mandatory sentences (such as sodomy, rape, theft, fornication, apostasy and consumption of alcohol for the forth time).

    ***

    Women:

    Execution of only three of the (at least) 15 women who were executed in 2011 has been reported by the Iranian authorities. The other executions have been reported to us through reliable unofficial sources. This trend might indicate that the Iranian authorities do not announce execution of the women prisoners in order to avoid international attention since the international opinion seems to be more sensitive to execution of women.

    1. Zahra Bahrami: Executed on January 28 in Tehran’s Evin prison. Iranian-Dutch citizen. Charge: drug trafficking. Originally arrested in connection with anti-regime protests and sentenced to death for Moharebeh. (Source: Iranian state media)

    2. NOT IDENTIFIED:
    Executed on February 28 in the prison of Urmia. Charge: drug trafficking (Source: HRANA)

    3. NOT IDENTIFIED: Executed on February 28 in the prison of Urmia. Charge: drug trafficking (Source: HRANA)

    4. Adiva Mirza Soleiman: Executed on March 14 in Tehran. Jewish. Charge: Unknown (Source: HRANA)

    5. NOT IDENTIFIED: Executed on March 14 in Tehran. . Charge: Unknown (Source: HRANA)

    6. NOT IDENTIFIED:
    Executed on May 24 in Vakilabad prison of Mashhad. Charge: drug trafficking(Source: ICHR)

    7. NOT IDENTIFIED: Executed on May 24 in Vakilabad prison of Mashhad . Charge: drug trafficking (Source: ICHR)

    8. NOT IDENTIFIED: Executed on May 24 in Vakilabad prison of Mashhad. Charge: drug trafficking (Source: ICHR)

    9. Begam N.: Executed on July 20 in the prison of Rafsanjan. Charge: drug trafficking. (Source: ISNA, Iranian state media)

    10. Leila Hayati: 29 year old, executed on September 28 in Hamedan. Charge: drug trafficking. (Source: IHR)

    11. S. M. B.: Executed on October 3 in Rasht. Charge: Adultery, allegedly sentenced to death by stoning, but hanged. (Source: IHR, further details are being investigated)

    12. Roghiyeh Khalaj: 32 year old, executed on October 5 in Hamedan. Charge: drug trafficking. (Source: IHR)

    13. Horiyeh Sabahi: 35 year old, executed on October 5 in Hamedan. Charge: drug trafficking. (Source: IHR)

    14. NOT IDENTIFIED:
    Executed on November 29 in the prison of Kermanshah. Charge: drug trafficking. (Source: Fars news agency, Iranian state media)

    15. Nahid A.: Executed on December 24 in the prison of Urmia. Charge: drug trafficking. (Source: Mukrian news agency)

    Public executions:

    In 2011 Iranian authorities carried out a record number of at least 65 public executions. Six of these executions have not been reported by the Iranian authorities.



    Most of those hanged publicly were convicted of Rape/sexual assaults (30 of 66), followed by murder ( 16 ), Moharebeh/armed robbery (10), drug trafficking (6) and kidnapping (1).In at least 2 of the public hangings, the execution was carried out by a civilian (as qesas, or retribution)

    Geographical distribution of the public executions:




    A child is watching a public execution in Iran in Khomeinishahr in October 2011. IHR has urged the international community and the United Nations to put a ban on the public executions.

    Reports of secret/non-official executions

    In 2011 IHR received a large number of reports about executions not reported by the Iranian authorities. Execution reports from more than 15 different prisons throughout Iran have been confirmed. IHR has received reports of more than 70 other executions that haven’t been included in the present reports. These cases are in the process of being confirmed.





    Some of the unofficial executions are not announced by official media, but the lawyers and family members of the prisoners were notified prior to the execution. In other cases, executions are categorized as “secret” since neither the lawyers or family members were informed before the execution took place.

    IHR received reports in 2010 of 60-70 executions carried out in Birjand prison. Due to the lack of details surrounding their cases, those executions were not included in the annual report. However, In June 2011, Mohammad Bagher Bagheri, a provincial Justice Ministry official in the South Khorasan province, said 140 drug smugglers had been executed in the province in the past Iranian year (21 March 2010 to 20 March 2011; Mehr News agency, 25. June 2011). IHR has received credible reports about three episodes of executions in Birjand prison in the period from January 2011 to March 2011. Two of these episodes have been confirmed by Iran’s Prosecutor General Mohseni Ejei (Fars news agency 31. January 2011; Siasat-e-rooz, 28. February 2011). Based on the available information IHR has included 100 of the 140 Birjand executions in the 2010 annual report (causing the annual number to increase from 546 to 646). Additionally, 40 of the executions are included in the 2011 annual report.

    The primary sources for the other un-announced executions have been Iran Human Rights (IHR), Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran (HRDAI), International Campaign for the Human Rights (ICHR), Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Mukrian news agency, Ahwaz news, RAHANA and Association for Defence of Azerbaijani Political Prisoners in Iran (ADAPP).

    IHR has only included the cases that have been confirmed by two independent sources, in its annual report.

    http://iranhr.net/spip.php?article2440

  9. #39
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
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    Iran overturns death sentence for 'CIA spy' Hekmati

    Iran's Supreme Court has overturned the death sentence given to an Iranian-American national accused of spying for the CIA and ordered a retrial.

    Judges had found the verdict against Amir Mirzai Hekmati was "not complete" and referred his case to an affiliate court, a judiciary spokesman said.

    In January, Mr Hekmati was convicted of "co-operating with a hostile nation, membership of the CIA, and trying to implicate Iran in terrorism".

    The US has urged Iran to release him.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17261257

  10. #40
    Senior Member Member Diggler's Avatar
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    Four Iranians to hang for being gay

    http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2012/05/f...ng-for-sodomy/

    This is like a sick joke as if you have travelled through the east homosexuality is obvious. Their argument is that its a stage men go through until married but the gays keep with it and do not get married thus breaking the laws of Allah.

    Whatever. Packing consensual fudge is not an offence worth killing for.

    Diggler

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