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Amnesty International today condemned the executions in Iran of four Kurdish political activists and another Iranian man, all convicted of “moharebeh” (enmity against God)”. The four Kurds – Farzad Kamangar, Ali Heydarian, Farhad Vakili, Shirin Alam-Holi - along with Mehdi Eslamian, were hanged on Sunday, 9 May at Evin prison in Tehran.

The five were accused of “enmity against God” for carrying out ‘terrorist acts’ and convicted of this vaguely worded charge which can carry the death penalty and is usually applied to those who take up arms against the state.

Mehdi Eslamian is reported to have been tortured including by being flogged and beaten; he was denied medical attention for injuries sustained while in custody and forced to ’confess’.

Farzad Kamangar, a teacher, had been held for seven months prior to being allowed to meet with his family. According to a letter he wrote, circulated on the internet in April 2008, he was repeatedly tortured following his arrest in May 2006. He was whipped, held in a freezing cold room and guards played ‘football’ with his body, surrounding him and pummelling him as he was ’passed ’ between guards.

In a letter from prison, Shirin Alam-Holi said she had had nightmares because of what her interrogators did to her. She was repeatedly beaten, including on the soles of her feet, kicked in the stomach, causing internal bleeding, and when she went on hunger strike, force fed through nasa... >>>