ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian authorities announced on Saturday the execution of seven prisoners, including a Kurd convicted of murder, the latest in what United Nations experts have called a “staggering” use of the death penalty.
Saman Mohammadi Khiyareh is a Kurd from Sanandaj, in Kurdistan province. He was arrested in 2013 for alleged crimes committed during the 2009 Green Movement.
“Saman Mohammadi Khiyareh was hanged after going through the legal process on charges of war crimes, membership in terrorist and takfiri [apostate] groups, carrying out armed operations, and planning and leading the assassination of martyr Mamosta [teacher] Sheikh al-Islam in Sanandaj,” the Iranian judiciary’s media outlet Mizan reported.
“The terrorist attack on the Sanandaj Police Headquarters, participation in a gold shop robbery and kidnapping that led to the murder of the kidnapped person, and planning and leading the assassination of the martyr Sheikh al-Islam were among the criminal acts committed by the convicted person,” it added.
According to Oslo-based Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Khiyareh, who was 19 years old at the time of his arrest, “was subjected to severe torture and forced under duress to make self-incriminating confessions,” during his imprisonment.
Hengaw said his execution took place without prior notice and “the authorities denied Mohammadi Khiyareh a final visit with his family.”
“Hengaw Organization for Human Rights strongly condemns this inhumane act and stresses that the secret execution of political prisoners after years of torture and unfair trials represents a grave violation of international human rights and due process standards,” it said.
Mizan also announced on Saturday the execution of six people accused of collaborating with Israel.
“These terrorists directly participated in the assassination and martyrdom of police officers and security guards,” Mizan stated. “In addition to playing a key role in terrorist operations, the aforementioned elements were in contact with the Zionist regime and were supported by hostile foreign elements.”
The number of executions carried out by Iranian authorities has risen dramatically in recent years, drawing criticism from human rights monitors.
“The sheer scale of executions in Iran is staggering and represents a grave violation of the right to life,” United Nations human rights experts said in a recent statement. “With an average of more than nine hangings per day in recent weeks, Iran appears to be conducting executions at an industrial scale that defies all accepted standards of human rights protection.”
The UN called on Tehran to immediately establish a “moratorium” on all executions, provide data on executions, treat people humanely and ensure compliance with international fair trial standards.
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