Monitoring Human Rights in Iran Death sentences

January To February, 2004

Execution in Karaj

ISNA, Jan. 26 - Last week a man was hanged in the yard of Raja'ii prison in Karaj after receiving 99 whips.

Public execution in Dezful

Khorassan daily, Jan. 27 - Charkhabi Khodamorad H., 25 and married, was publicly hanged in Dezful. His sentence was confirmed by the 37th branch of the Supreme Court and carried out in public after the Supreme Justice upheld it.

Execution in Qasr prison

Entekhab daily, Jan. 29 - A young man was hanged in the yard of Qasr prison in the presence of the penal judge of Tehran's public prosecutor's office.

Three youth hanged in town of Khoy

Peik-e Iran website, Jan. 31 - The death sentences for three youngsters were carried out after being upheld by the country' chief justice. The executed were between 18 to 20 years of age.

Death sentence in Bojnourd

Khorassan daily, Feb. 1 - A man was sentenced to punishment by retribution in the city of Bojnourd. Tavakolian, the judge of the eighth branch of Bojnourd's public prosecutor's office announced this.

Man sentenced to 8 times execution

Aftab daily, Feb. 3 - Judge Bahrami said the country's chief justice upheld the death sentence for Mohammad F. from Marvdasht. The judge presiding the case said, "The country's chief justice upheld the sentence for eight times execution. In the final ruling, the man was sentenced to eight times execution in public, 99 lashes in public, 10 years prison, and 74 lashes." He added that the sentence will probably be carried out on February 13. The man's wife was sentenced to three years prison and flogging.

Two young men sentenced to death

Entekhab daily, Feb. 5 - Following the arrest of two young men named Mostafa and Alireza in Sangan, their case was referred to Tehran's penal public prosecutor. After the end of the hearings, Judge Hematyar, head of Branch 1156 of the penal court sentenced each individual to execution.

Youth sentenced to death

Etemad daily, Feb. 5 - Tehran's penal judge sentenced a young man to execution. The convict, named Babak, was arrested in September 2002. Following the last session of his trial, Judge Hematyar sentenced him to death.

Man sentenced to death in Tehran

Entekhab daily, Feb. 7 - The judiciary issued a death for a person. The sentence for the man, named Qader K., has been upheld by the country's chief justice and he will be hanged soon.

Several youth hanged in Public

Jomhouri Islami daily, Feb. 14 - In the past two weeks, the hanging of several youth aged between 17 to 23 years in Rezvan Orchard in the city of Mahshahr has horrified residents. All of the hangings were similar and took place in the city's public graveyard.
The director of Khuzistan province's political and security affairs said three youth have committed suicide and they are analyzing the reasons for it. There was no explanation for the motives of the suicides, but poverty and unemployment are considered the two main causes.

Two persons executed in public

Sharq daily, Feb. 18 - Two death sentences were carried out yesterday in Bandar-e Gaz's main square. The hanging was carried out in public on the order of the first department of Bandar-e Gaz's public court, and after being upheld by the 32nd branch of the Supreme Court.

Man hanged in public

Jomhouri Islami daily, Feb. 25 - Mohammad Ali Firouzi, who had been sentenced to death by Marvdasht's public court, was hanged yesterday publicly in Mo'allem Square in the city of Marvdasht. The convict was also sentenced to 25 years prison and 173 lashes.

Arrests, Tortures and inhumane punishments

25-year-old sentenced to flogging

Qods daily, Jan. 31 - One man was sentenced to flogging. A judicial official sentenced this 25-year-old man to 80 lashes for drinking alcoholic beverages..

21 youth arrested in Shiraz

Jomhouri Islami daily, Feb. 3 - Commander of the Anti-Vice Campaign of Shiraz's Guards Corps reported that 10 people have been arrested. He said the arrested were ten men ranging from 21 to 25 years of age. Colonel Safania also said members of a group who had held a party were arrested. The official said, "They were 11 people consisting of eight men and three women."

3 students to go to prison

Sharq daily, Feb. 5 - Three members of the Student's Islamic Institution of the Teachers Training University in Sabzevar must show up in court. Maysam Amani, Abdolrassoul Naderi and Qassem E'taii, members of the central council of the Students' Institution, have been sentenced to 6 months prison.

Amputation of fingers

Sharq daily, Feb. 8 - A man in Dezful was sentenced to having four fingers of his right hand amputated. The person, named Ruhollah N., was sentenced to three years prison with torture and 50 lashes in addition to amputation of his fingers.

Female student arrested by State Security Forces

Radio France Internationale, Feb. 10 - The Islamic Association of Tehran University's College of Political Sciences issued a statement reporting that a female student of the university has been arrested. According to the statement, Pegah Hamzeii, student of communications at the College of Social Sciences of Tehran University, was arrested the previous day by the State Security Forces after the students' gathering at the University. Pegah Hamzeii has had no contact with her family and her whereabouts and charges are not yet specified.

100 lashes for two students

Peik-e Iran website, Feb. 13 - Two students of the University of Noshahr were sentenced to 100 lashes for stealing a bicycle in the city of Noshahr. The sentences were carried out in the campus of the university>

2 students arrested, no information on heir whereabouts

ILNA, Feb. 16, Tehran - The secretary of the Islamic Students' Association of Yazd's University of Medical Sciences said, "Two students named Ali Reza Soltani and Mojtaba Saheli were arrested while distributing the Association's declaration. He concluded that Yazd's intelligence department had arrested the individuals and said, "Until now, we have no information on the two."

Solitary confinement after 100 days of torture

Radio France Internationale, Feb. 17 - The Students' Committee for Defence of Political Prisoners reported that Orjang Davoodi has been transferred to Hall One of Evin prison after 100 days under torture in the Guards Corps, solitary confinement cell number 325. According to the report, Davoodi has been blinded, his left ear deafened, and his right hand handicapped under torture. Orjang Davoodi, who is considered a political opponent of the Iranian government, had helped a Canadian reporter in compiling a report on human rights in Iran..

3 members of Students' Association of Shiraz universities detained

Radio France Internationale, Feb. 22 - Three members of the presiding board of the Students' Islamic Association of Shiraz University and Shiraz's Medical Science University were detained yesterday. Following the distribution of a declaration by the Students' Association of the two universities across the city, Bahram Fayazi and Reza Al-e Mohammad, members of the presiding board of the Students' Islamic Association, and Saeed Rahim Moqadam, member of the presiding board of the Consolidation Association, were arrested by the State Security Forces. The whereabouts of the three students remain unknown.

Freedom of expression

3 papers to go on trial

ISNA, Jan. 26 - Directing managers of Asia, Nassim-e Saba and Kayhan Sports dailies will go on trial this Wednesday. Rushdie's death decree remains in force Radio Farda, Feb. 9 - The Martyr Foundation announced once again that the death decree for Salman Rushdie, the British writer of the book "Satanic Verses" is still valid. The Foundation has expressed hope that Rushdie's death decree be carried out as soon as possible.

Iranian regime, a worst violator of religious freedoms

ISNA, Feb. 12 - The International Commission for Freedom of Religions placed Iran in the row of the highest violators of religious freedom. According to the Commission's annual report, Iran is one of the world's 11 regimes identified as violators of religious freedoms. The report states that in Iran, religious freedoms,which the government is responsible to protect, are violated systematically and in a horrifying way.

Women 6 women out of 100,000 set selves on fire

Aftab daily, Feb. 22 - The head of the health ministry's mental health department referred to the slow pace of implementation of the suicide prevention program said: In the western and southern regions of the country, (suicides) are mostly self-immolations among women, which rates more than 6 in every 100,000 women..

Other news

171 Babies, born in prisons

BBC Radio Farsi Service, Feb. 13 - It was announced that during the years 2002 and 2003, 171 babies were born in prisons. The Social Deputy of Iran's Welfare Organization said it had been planned to make nurseries beside the prisons for keeping babies under three years of age, but this has not yet been realized.

No info on fate of Bam's 20,000 school students

IRNA, Feb. 23, Tehran - About two months after the devastating earthquake in the town of Bam, the special envoy of the Ministry of Education in the quake-stricken region of Bam announced that there is still no information on the fate of about 20,000 school students of the town. Mansour Zya'i Raviz said, "We still don't know where these students are, or if they are alive or have been killed."

Executions by hanging are carried out in Islamic Republic of ayatollahs in accordance with the Islamic "eye-for-an-eye" law of retribution, otherwise known as "qesas".

Next