The families of four Kurdish political prisoners who face death sentences have been summoned to Evin Prison for a meeting, a sign of imminent execution.
The Hengaw Human Rights Organization reported that Pejman Fatehi, Mohsen Mazloum, Mohammad (Hazhir) Faramarzi, and Vafa Azarbar are scheduled to meet their families at Evin, where they face imminent execution after receiving death sentences from Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.
Amnesty International earlier condemned their arbitrary detention since July 2022.
The organization reported that the men were arrested by Iran's Ministry of Intelligence near Urmia, West Azarbaijan province, on July 20, 2022. State media later announced their arrest, accusing them of “espionage for Israel and plotting terrorist activities within the country.”
Footage aired on state television in October and December 2022 purportedly depicted the four men confessing to planning a bomb attack near the central city of Esfahan, allegedly under Israeli intelligence guidance.
Last week, the persistent endeavors made by the lawyer representing the families to submit a petition for the resumption of proceedings in the Supreme Court were met with rejection. Given the historical records and similar instances in the past involving the Islamic Republic, there is a grave concern that the death sentences of these four people will be carried out within the next few hours, and some other mothers will be bereaved.
Currently, the families of these prisoners are en route to Tehran and heading towards Evin prison. We urge the residents of Tehran and all individuals who cherish freedom to stand in solidarity with them.
Furthermore, we call upon human rights institutions and international organizations to promptly and effectively intervene to prevent these executions from taking place.
The Islamic Republic, which has the highest rate of executions in the world after China, has executed 90 people just from December 22 to January 21.
In a recent revelation, UN experts disclosed that at least 834 people were executed in Iran in 2023, with eight of them linked to nationwide protests. The experts urgently called on the Iranian government to halt the surge of executions and undertake a comprehensive review of the use of the death penalty.
Source:
iranintl.com, Staff, January 28, 2024
_____________________________________________________________________
SUPPORT DEATH PENALTY NEWS
