Iran | Protester Reza Rasayi at Imminent Risk of Execution; 23 Execution Recorded in 5 Days

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); April 26, 2024: Sources close to Reza Rasayi’s family have warned of the protester’s execution being carried out in the next few days. There has been a drastic rise in the number of executions in the past week, with at least 23 people executed in the last five days alone.

Iran Human Rights calls for the death sentences against Reza Rasayi and other political prisoners to be overturned. It also urges the international community to adopt a firm and sustainable policy to stop the daily executions in Iran.

IHRNGO Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “Raising the political cost of executions is the only way to prevent the execution of Reza Rasayi and other prisoners on the death row. People inside and outside Iran can raise this cost with daily campaigns against the death penalty, and the international community by putting pressure on the Islamic Republic.”

The risk of his execution being carried out in the coming days has greatly increased, according to Dadban quoting a source close to Reza Rasayi's family. “Neither his lawyer or family have heard any response to the Article 477 judicial review application filed months ago. His confirmed death sentence was previously sent to the Kermanshah Sentence Implementation by Branch 2 of the Kermanshah Criminal Court and all the administrative work has been completed,” the source said.

Protests

(Gholam) Reza Rasayi is a 34-year-old Kurdish protester of the Yarsani faith who was arrested in relation to the death of IRGC member Nader Beirami at a ceremony held for Yarsani leader, Seyed Khalil Alinejad, which people used as an opportunity to protest, holding “Woman, Life, Freedom” signs. Authorities falsely claimed the gathering which they violently crushed, was unrelated to protests.

Reza was the first defendant in a group trial of 11 defendants for charges of “participating in the murder of Nader Beirami with a cold weapon, participating in intentional bodily harm to the aforementioned with a knife and participating in disruption of public order by creating conflict, controversy and uproar” at Branch 2 of the Kermanshah province Criminal Court.

Torture, forced confessions, recantations

In court documents obtained by IHRNGO, Reza denies the charges but after “investigations” he confesses to stabbing the officer. His co-defendants in the case were compelled to testify against Reza and were subsequently released or faced lighter sentences.

One defendant later states that he never saw Reza stab the victim and his testimony was made “out of fear.” Reza did not testify against anyone else himself and denied the charges in later investigations and in court, stating clearly that his confessions had been extracted under torture.

All other defendants also later retracted their testimonies which had been made “under torture.” The court also dismissed two expert testimonies in Reza’s favour including that of the Kermanshah Forensic Medical Examiner whose testimony meant the fatal blow could not have been committed by Reza.

In the judgement, the testimonies of torture were dismissed and despite a lack of evidence, the judge relied on elme qazi (knowledge of the judge- see page 41 of this report) to sentence him to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder on 7 October 2023. The IRGC officer’s family, who are the plaintiffs in the case, requested qisas, Reza’s execution.

Reza’s family were informed that his sentence had been upheld by Branch 17 of the Supreme Court on 24 December 2023. His appeal was rejected by Branch One of the Supreme Court without addressing the legal flaws and contradictions” according to HRANA news agency.

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, April 26, 2024

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