Iran Focus: London, May 21 – The international community should support independent voices in Iran and “strongly condemn” the execution of political activists there, a leading international human rights group said.
Iran Focus
London, May 21 – The international community should support independent voices in Iran and “strongly condemn” the execution of political activists there, a leading international human rights group said.
“The Iranian judiciary is a tool in the hands of Ayatollah Khamenei and President Ahmadinejad to repress harshly peaceful protesters and political opponents”, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) said in a statement posted on its website Thursday.
The Tehran prosecutor-general Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi announced on 15 May that death sentences pronounced against three out of 10 post-election protesters charged with “moharebeh”(waging war on God) had been upheld by the Court of Appeal.
Abdolreza Ghanbari, Mohsen Daneshpour Moghadam and his son Ahmad Daneshpour Moghadam were convicted of “moharebeh” for supporting the opposition People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran and taking part in anti-government protests last year.
Dolatabadi confirmed that three other Mojahedin supporters – Mohammad Ali Saremi, Jafar Kazemi, Mohammad-Ali Haj-Aghai – also had their death sentences upheld by the appeal court. In all, he said, 217 sentences against post-election protesters have been confirmed by the appeal courts.
“The nuclear deals should not make us forget the terrible human rights situation in Iran. The international community cannot wait and see but should on the contrary support independent voices in Iran, and strongly condemn the increasing number of death sentences and executions of political activists”, FIDH said.
The International Solidarity for Democratic Change in Iran (ISDCI) earlier this week published online the text of an open letter by Ali Saremi, 62, who said: “My arrest in 2007 was for going to Khavaran cemetery, the place of burial of victims of mass executions of 1988. But is presence at a cemetery to honour the fallen, or supporting an organisation, or a father’s visit with his son in your view Moharebeh and worthy of the punishment of execution?”
“I say that even with my execution or hanging they cannot sow fear in my heart or that of my noble countrymen. The only reason for such a sentence is their fear for their shaky rule and not fairness or justice”, he said.
