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Zeinab Jalalian: Prisoner of the day

Sentenced to death, reduced to life in prison

IHRO: In December 2011, the Supreme Court reduced the death sentence of Zeinab Jalalian, a Kurdish prisoner of conscience, to life in prison. In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran Jalalian’s lawyer Mohammad Sharif said that prison authorities had previously informed Jalalian of the change.

“Two weeks ago, when Zeinab called me, she said that she had been summoned by the Kermanshah Dizel Abad Prison’s Social Services unit, and that they have informed her of her life in prison sentence. As [informing inmates about their sentence] should have been carried out by the Sentence Implementation Unit and not by Social Services, I sent my colleague to Kermanshah to pursue the issue. Upon his review of the case, we realized that fortunately, her execution has been reduced to life in prison through a clemency order by the Supreme Leader.”

In 2007, Jalalian was arrested and in December 2009, sentenced to death on the charge of membership in Kurdistan’s PJAK group; an appeals court later upheld her death sentence. After an appeals court upheld Jalalian’s death sentence, Sharif accepted her case and filed a clemency request with the Supreme Court. She was initially also charged with armed operations, a charge she denied.

“Her charges were ‘connection to Kurdistan’s PJAK group’ and ‘armed operations.’ Of course it was proven that she was not involved in any armed activities and this is why the Supreme Court overturned her sentence. Zeinab herself confirmed her contacts with PJAK, but not participating in armed operations,” said Sharif.

In March 2010, authorities transferred Jalalian from Kermanshah Prison to Ward 209 of Evin Prison. There were later rumors about her imminent execution. Several sources also reported Jalalian was suffering from physical and psychological pressure to produce forced televised confessions.

Sharif spoke with the Campaign about Jalalian’s torture allegations while in Evin. “I will make no comments about this question. My visits with my client have been in the presence of [security] forces and she did not have complete freedom in talking to me. However, she did not tell me anything about this.”

Currently, Jalalian is being held in Kermanshah’s Dizel Abad Prison, where she was transferred to after spending five months in Evin Prison.

“Next week I will go to Kermanshah and I hope to be able to see Zeinab. If she agrees, I will request her transfer to a prison closer to her home and family, such as the Orumiyeh Prison, because her family lives too far away from Kermanshah Prison right now,” Sharif added.

In a 2009 letter addressed to human rights organizations, Jalalian wrote: “I am a 27-year-old Kurdish girl who has been sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of the Islamic Revolutionary Courts. At this time I am ill due to severe torture. I have not been allowed a lawyer, and I was sentenced to death in less than a few minutes. They did not even allow me to defend myself. They told me ‘Because you are an enemy of God, you are not entitled to defend yourself.”

12-Mar-2012
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Sample Protest letter:

Dear  virtual family, please take a moment to send this protest letter or use your own version.

Please keep in mind that for us, in our priviliged position: free and outside of Iran and IR's jails, and with acess to internet, it's only a few moments work, but for our magnificent,  most courageous political prisoners  back home it would mean so much. Many thanks in advance. 

 ========================================

Free Zeinab Jalalian!

I (we) am (are) writing this to condemn persecution and harrasment of ethnic minorities in Iran. National minorities, such as Kurdish people, are constantly harassed and pesecuted by official of Islamic Republic. 

In particular, this letter is written to express my (our) serious concern about the health and well being of Ms. Zeinab Jalalian. You shall remember the world-wide condemnation that was brought against Islamic Republic after it executed five innocent activists, two years ago. That global condemnation was followed by a province-wide General Strike in Kurdestan that shut down the entire provinve and its surrounding areas. We assure you any harsh action against Ms. Jalalian would be highly costly as well. 

I (we) demand the immediate and unconditional freedom for Ms. Zeinab Jalalian, and all other political prisoners, and call on the Islamic Republic of Iran to respect the right of all Iranians to  , organize, assemble and freedom ,  association and expression.

Name:

Organization:

Position:

Send Copy of your Protest Letters to:

info@leader.ir, info@judiciary.ir, dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir; iran@un.int; ijpr@iranjudiciary.org, info@dadiran.ir, office@justice.ir, support@irimlsa.ir; info@humanrights-iran.ir

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An injury to one is an injury to all.