Kurdish Political Prisoner Farhad Salimi Executed After 14 Years; Co-Defendants at Grave Risk

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); January 23, 2024: After spending 14 years on death row, Kurdish-Sunni political prisoner, Farhad Salimi was executed for charges of moharebeh (enmity against god) and efsad-fil-ar z(corruption on earth) in Ghezelhesar Prison.

Iran Human Rights condemns the execution of political prisoners once again and calls for immediate international action to stop the Islamic Republic’s execution machine.

Director, Mahmoud Amiry-Moghaddam said: "The execution of Farhad Salimi, like Mohammad Ghobadlu, is an example of extrajudicial killing, and Ali Khamenei and the officials of the corrupt judicial system of the Islamic Republic regime should be held accountable for this crime. We urge the people and the global community to raise the cost of these extrajudicial killings for the regime through protest and appropriate reaction.”

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, Kurdish Sunni political prisoner Farhad Salimi was executed in Ghezelhesar Prison in Karaj on 23 January. At the time of execution, Farhad was on a hunger strike in protest against his co-defendants’ executions.

Farhad Salimi who was a Kurdish and Sunni minority, was arrested along with Ghasem Abasteh, Anwar Khezri, Davoud Abdollahi, Ayoub Karimi, Farhad Salimi, Khosro Besharat and Kamran Sheikheh in January 2010.

They were interrogated in Urmia before being transferred to Evin Prison in Tehran and subsequently transferred to Gohardasht (Rajai Shahr) Prison in Karaj where they were held until its closure in August when they were transferred to Ghezelhesar Prison. An informed source previously told IHRNGO that the seven political prisoners were physically and psychologically tortured to extract forced confessions.

They were sentenced to death for charges of moharebeh (enmity against god) and efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth) through “armed action and membership in a Salafi jihadi group” in a case with seven defendants by Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court in February/March 2016. One of their charges related to the death of a Sunni cleric named Mamousta Abdolrahim Tina.

Davoud Abdollahi is the third defendant in the case to be executed in Ghezelhesar Prison in the last three months. Ghasem Abasteh was executed on 5 November 2023, Ayoub Karimi was executed on 29 November and Davoud Abdolllahi was executed on 2 January 2024. Anwar Khezri, Khosro Besharat and Kamran Sheikheh are all at grave risk of execution.

At least 51 people have been executed by the Islamic Republic in the first 23 days of 2024.

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, January 23, 2024

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