Iran | Man and his Disabled Brother Executed in Urmia

Iran Human Rights (IHR); July 4, 2021: Death row prisoners Anvar Abdollahi, Baha-oddin and Davood Ghasemzadeh, all sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder, were executed in Urmia Central Prison today. Baha-oddin and Davood Ghasemzadeh were brothers and Anvar Abdollahi was disabled due to a spinal cord injury.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, three men were executed in Urmia Central Prison this morning.

The identities of the three prisoners have been established as Anvar Abdollahi, Baha-oddin and Davood Ghasemzadeh, who were all sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder.

Baha-oddin and Davood Ghasemzadeh were brothers and Davood was unable to walk due to a spinal cord injury.

They were from Salmas and sentenced to qisas on charges of “murdering two people during a tribal conflict” after their arrest in 2009.

At the time of writing, none of their executions have been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Their transfer for execution took place on the same day as the execution of Nasser Azmoudeh and Shahriar Amiri on drug-related charges at the same prison.

According to Iran Human Rights’ Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 211 of the 267 people executed in 2020 were sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for "premeditated murder."

As there are no legal distinctions made between murder and manslaughter, whether voluntary or involuntary in Iran, those charged under the umbrella term of “premeditated murder” will receive the death penalty regardless of intent and the circumstances.

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, July 4, 2021

Iran executes 2 imprisoned brothers forced to “confess”

2 imprisoned brothers one of whom was paralyzed due to being beaten in prison were executed in Iran on Sunday.

Iranian authorities executed Davood and Bahaoddin Ghasemzadeh for a crime that took place 12 years ago and, according to amnesty International, following a conviction based on forced “confessions”.

In addition to the brothers Davood and Bahauddin Qasemzadeh, another man identified as Anwar Abdollahi was also executed on murder charges in Urmia Prison in northwest Iran.

Davood suffered a severed spinal cord injury after being beaten in prison.

The 3 prisoners were taken to solitary confinement on Saturday.

Davood and Bahaoddin Ghasemzadeh were from the city of Salmas in West Azerbaijan Province in northwest Iran.

They were arrested in 2009 on charges of killing 2 people in a tribal conflict.

On the court session which was held a year later, Bahaoddin accepted the charges of both murders.

After leaving the court, he escaped and went to Iraqi Kurdistan.

After he escaped, security forces arrested his sister, mother and other brother and transferred them to Urmia Prison, demanding that Bahaoddin return in exchange for his family’s release.

He returned to the country a month later. During this period, Davood Ghasemzadeh suffered severe injuries to his spine and spinal cord due to severe beatings in prison.

Davood Ghasemzadeh had previously contracted a leg infection due to a spinal cord injury and poor prison conditions.

He went on hunger strike in October 2020 to protest at poor prison conditions, treatment in detention, and denial of access to adequate medical care for his spinal cord injury that paralyzed one of his legs.

(...)

The clerical regime seeks to prevent escalation of popular protests by these executions, extensive arbitrary arrests, and other repressive measures.

Iran HRM once again calls on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Human Rights Council and other institutions defending human rights to take urgent action to save the lives of Iranian prisoners on death row. The Iranian regime’s dossier of human rights violations must be referred to the UN Security Council. The leaders and officials of the clerical regime in Iran must face justice for four decades of committing crimes against humanity.

Source: iran-hrm.com, Staff, July 4, 2021

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
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