June 20-2014
A group of four UN human rights specialists have expressed outrage at the recent executions of two prisoners in Iran, saying the Islamic Republic not only violated international standards but Iran’s own laws with the hangings.
Gholam-Reza Khosravi-Savadjani was sentenced to death for “moharabeh” (enmity against God) for allegedly sharing information and making contributions to the Mojahedin-e Khalq. He was executed June 1.
“The execution of an individual for the alleged offence of transmitting information and providing financial assistance to a dissident organization is simply illegal,” said the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns.
He called the death penalty “an extreme form of punishment [that], if used at all, should only be imposed for the most serious crimes, after a fair trial that respects the most stringent due process guarantees, as stipulated in international human rights law.”
Another UN Special Rapporteur—on the independence of judges and lawyers—Gabriela Knaul, added that Khosravi’s execution shows “the complete disregard of the Iranian judicial system for international fair trial standards and due process guarantees.”
A third Special Rapporteur, this one dealing with freedom of expression—Frank La Rue, said, “The imposition of such an extreme sentence against a political activist is an alarming signal of the restrictions to freedom of expression in Iran.”
The three said the execution was not only contrary to international human rights law, but also contrary to the new Islamic Penal Code, which came into force last year and prohibits the use of capital punishment for the crime of moharebeh in cases that do not involve the use of weapons.
“It is beyond comprehension that Mr. Khosravi was tried twice for the same acts and with the same evidence,” said a fourth Special Rapporteur, Ahmad Shaheed, who deals with the overall situation of human rights in Iran. Shaheed said, “This is not only contrary to international human rights standards, but also Iran’s domestic law.”
The hanging of Khosravi came only days after the execution of Mah-Afarid Amir-Khosravi, accused of large-scale financial corruption.
“The fight against corruption by no means justifies the execution of individuals on charges of embezzlement, especially when serious questions about the transparency and fairness of trials remain,” Shaheed said.