IHRWG protests death sentences for detained students
PRESS RELEASE
September 22, 1999
Iranian Human Rights Working Group (IHRWG)
It is with deep regret to hear that the Islamic Republic's head of The
Revolutionary Courts has announced the issuance of death sentences for
four students arrested in the July unrest in Tehran University. In an interview
with the newspaper 'Jomhuri-ye Eslami' on September 12th, 1999, Hojatoleslam
Gholamhossein Rahbarpour, the head of Tehran Revolutionary Court, announced
the death sentences against the four and stated that two of the sentences
had already been approved by the Supreme Court. He suggested that more
death sentences might be expected for more than 700 students arrested in
the July uprising. He neither gave the names of those sentenced nor the
details of charges against them and trial proceedings.
Press reports and interviews with relatives, attorneys and friends of
the arrested students have indicated that no due process of law has been
practiced. They have been kept incommunicado since their arrests, and have
been "tried" in closed courts in the absence of lawyers. Three
of those arrested after the July demonstrations have appeared on state
television "confessing" to their involvement with "counter-revolutionary
agents", an activity punishable by death in Iran. Any conviction or
sentence based on "confessions" under such circumstances would
violate Article 11 (1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which
states that; "Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right
to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public
trial in which he has had all the guarantees for his defense." Historically,
such confessions are extracted from detainees by torture, which is widespread
in the Islamic Republic and is generally conducted by agents of the Ministry
of Intelligence with cooperation of the judicial system. According to international
laws and the Islamic Republic's constitution"everyone has the right
to be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a fair trial. The right
not to be compelled to testify against oneself or to confess guilt is fundamental
to this presumption of innocence.
We are calling for the immediate commutation of the death sentences
that have apparently been issued and approved by the Supreme Court, and
the urgent release of the names of the four sentenced and the rest who
have been arrested in relation to the July unrest. We further ask for fair
re-trial of the four who are sentenced as well as the immediate release
of all those held for their peaceful participation in the demonstrations.
It is worth noting that recent events followed debates in the past few
weeks on death penalty in Iran which included accusing abolitionists of
apostasy, a crime that can be punished by death in the Islamic Republic.
In this regard a newspaper has even offered a $33,000 prize for the head
of Dr. Hossein Bagher Zadeh - our chair - for stating the group's views
on capital punishment in 'Neshat' newspaper in Iran. 'Neshat' was later
closed by a judge's order as a result.
Iranian Human Rights Working Group (IHRWG)
launched a campaign against death penalty in Iran in December of 1997 and
has collected hundreds of signatures from Iranian individuals and organizations
since then. The list of supporters of this campaign can be viewed at our
web site at //www.ihrwg.org/CP
.
While Iranian Human Rights Working Group joins all international Human
Rights organizations in categorically condemning death penalty, we express
our outrage over recent treatment of students and intellectuals. We strongly
urge the Iranian government and President Khatami to intervene in this
unjust process and to take steps towards implementing the promised reforms
in order to bring the country's legislation in line with minimum standards
for fair trial laid down in article 14 of the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a state party.
Iranian Human Rights Working Group (IHRWG)
Send letters to:
Leader of the Islamic Republic:
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed 'Ali Khamenei
The Presidency, Palestine Avenue
Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Your Excellency:
Telegrams: Ayatollah Khamenei, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Faxes: 011 98 21 650203
(via Interior Ministry, ask for fax to be forwarded)
President:
Hojjatoleslam Seyyed Mohammad Khatami
The Presidency, Palestine Avenue
Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Your Excellency:
Telegrams: President Khatami, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Faxes: 011 98 21 674790
(via Foreign Affairs, ask for fax to be forwarded)
Head of Judiciary:
His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi-Shahroudi
Ministry of Justice
Park-e Shahr
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Your Excellency:
Telegrams: Head of the Judiciary,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
COPIES TO:
Minister of Foreign Affairs
His Excellency Kamal Kharrazi
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdolmajid Keshk-e Mesri Avenue
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: 011 98 21 674790
Mr Mohammad Hassan Zia'i-Far
Secretary, Islamic Human Rights Commission
PO Box 13165-137
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: 011 98 21 204 0541
In lieu of an embassy:
Iranian Interests Section
2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Washington DC 20007
Tel: (202) 965-4990 - 5
Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
622 Third Ave. New York, NY 10017
Tel: (212) 687-2020 / Fax: (212) 867-7086
E-mail: iran@un.int
-------------------------------
Iranian Human Rights Working Group (IHRWG) is an Internet-based community
of individuals committed to campaigning for the improvement of human rights
in Iran. The group's aims and objectives are contained in its Charter which
also sets out the structure of the group and the domain of its activities.
The group has no political agenda, and makes no judgment on the legitimacy
of the authorities in dealing with them, nor does it take the religious
or political beliefs or personal attributes of individuals into consideration
when it defends their human rights.
The group's Charter specifies its Aims and Objectives as follows:
To discuss, inform, educate and campaign for the improvement of human
rights in Iran and of Iranians abroad by all lawful means possible. In
its activities, the group will campaign for the human rights of individuals
regardless of their religious or political affiliations or personal attributes.
The group recognizes and adopts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
as its basic definition of human rights. From time to time the group may
also stipulate and adopt other specific rights which are not in conflict
with articles of the UDHR. The main means of communication will be electronic.
The group's membership is open to all individuals who BELIEVE in human
right values as stipulated by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
ACCEPT the group's Charter, and COMMIT themselves to take part in the campaign
for human rights in an atmosphere of mutual trust. The group is run by
an eight-member Steering Committee elected from amongst the membership
for a term of two years.
If you like to get more information, including the text of the group's
Charter, please send a message to : ihrwg-info@Tehran.Stanford.EDU
or see our web pages at: //www.ihrwg.org/
If you want to contact the group, get more information about the group,
send information about individual cases of human right abuses, or make
general comments, please send your message to:
ihrwg@Tehran.Stanford.EDU
Iranian Human Rights Working Group (IHRWG)
Disclaimer: "IHRWG is not affiliated with Stanford University,
and the opinions expressed herein do not neccesarily represent those of
Stanford University, nor do they imply any obligations on the part of the
university."
Links
