Human rights organizations; Issuing the death sentence against four Kurdish political prisoners is strongly condemned and contradicts all the fundamentals of human rights
With the death sentence of four Kurdish political prisoners named Pejman Fatehi, Wafa Azarbar, Mohsen Mazloum and Mohammad (Hajir) Faramarzi and the referral of the case to the execution of the sentences of the Tehran Court after confirming the sentence in the Supreme Court, the risk of execution of these four political prisoners is imminent and their lives are at risk of the Islamic Republic’s execution hangings at any moment.
While these four political prisoners have been completely deprived of a fair trial due to forced disappearance for nearly 18 months, about two months ago, Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolution Court of Tehran, headed by Judge Iman Afshari, charged them with “warfare through espionage for Israel” and they were sentenced to death. During the past few days, after the confirmation of this sentence in the 9th branch of the Supreme Court, the case was sent to the execution of the judgments of the Tehran court, and there is a danger of executing the death sentence of these four Kurdish political prisoners at any moment.
Mohsen Mazloum from Mahabad, Hejir (Mohammed) Faramarzi from Dehgolan from Sanandaj, Wafa Azarbar from Bukan and Pejman Fatehi from Kamiyaran, four members of Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan on July 23, 2022, by the security forces of the Islamic Republic in the village of “Yingjah” from Somai region of Orumiyeh were arrested. After a few months, the Islamic Republic of Iran aired a video of the forced confession of these prisoners and claimed that they “intended to explode in one of the airplane factories in Isfahan”. Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan strongly rejected this claim and accusations of the Islamic Republic about its members and considered it as a pretext to further suppress Kurdistan and people’s struggles, especially at the time of widespread protests in Kurdistan and Iran. The Komala Party also confirmed that these four people went inside Iran to carry out organizational activities and did not have any ammunition or weapons with them.
Acknowledging that these four political prisoners have spent the last 18 months in absolute ignorance and the government had not been held accountable for their situation and conditions at all. Their extrajudicial and inhuman sentences were also issued while they were deprived of the right to access a designated lawyer, meet and contact their families, and no one knew and does not know about their place of detention and their fate.
In the sense that these four prisoners were completely deprived of a fair trial and the appointed lawyer of the family did not even have the right to look at the case; As Mr. Masoud Shamsnejad, the lawyer of the family of these four political prisoners, stated, the trial process and the final death sentence are not fair.
According to the announcements of the security institutions, which even without considering the laws of the Islamic Republic and before the trial process started, they accused these prisoners of collaborating with Mossad. Also, taking into account the broadcast of the forced confessions of these four political prisoners in the months of October and December 2022, it is clear that these confessions were subjected to severe torture.
Due to the fact that according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Covenants, the right to freedom of expression and having political parties is one of the basic rights of the people of a country, and considering that the Islamic Republic has a black record of eliminating its opponents and creating security cases against different groups of Iranian people, and is among the governments that violate human rights and heavily resort to repression:
We, a group of human rights organizations, while strongly condemning the death sentence against these political prisoners; We consider the unfair and inhumane trial process, forced confessions and security scenarios against these prisoners to be in conflict with all human rights standards and even the Islamic Republic’s own laws, and we believe that the proceedings of these four political activists should be conducted according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil Rights and Political action should be carried out under the strict supervision of international assemblies and human rights institutions. Otherwise, any accusation and issuance of a verdict based on forced confession is illegal and a complete violation of human rights.
We request all freedom-loving people, civil and media activists, human rights and international institutions to use all their efforts to prevent the implementation of these unjust sentences.
January 8, 2024
Kurdpa Human Rights Organization
Hana Human Rights Organization
Ahwaz Center for Human Rights
Zagros Human Rights Center
Iranian Kurdistan Human Rights Center “Chav News”
