Abdorrahman Boroumand Center

for Human Rights in Iran

https://www.iranrights.org
Omid, a memorial in defense of human rights in Iran
One Person’s Story

Reza

About

Age: 27
Nationality: Iran
Religion: Unknown
Civil Status: Unknown

Case

Date of Killing: December 19, 2007
Location of Killing: Evin Prison, Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Hanging
Charges: Adultery; Murder

About this Case

News of the conviction and execution of Mr. Reza, along with three others, was published on the websites of Isca news on December 19, 2007, ISNA (Iranian Students News Agency) on December 18, 2007, the Hamshahri newspaper on October 3, 2005, March 12, 2006, and the Iran and Khorasan newspapers on October 3, 2005.       

Arrest and Detention

There were two different reports about Mr. Reza’s arrest in the media.

On March 12, 2004, the bodies of a woman and her child were recovered from her burned apartment. The woman was killed by knife blows and her child suffocated. According to the Khorasan newspaper, based on the statement made by the victim’s brother-in-law in which he claimed that the victim had a relationship with a young man, and based on the testimony of a neighbor who had seen an unknown man entered the victim’s house that day, the police were able to draw a portrait of the defendant and ultimately located him in the Mahalat prison. However, according to the Hamshahri newspaper, a man named Reza, who lived in the same area, was identified based on the phone records of the victims’ apartment. He was arrested in Khaniabad during a police raid.  

Trial

This trial took place in Branch 71 of the Punitive Court of Tehran.  

Charges

The charges against Mr. Reza were announced as "two counts of murder and an extra-marital relationship."       

The validity of the criminal charges brought against this defendant cannot be ascertained in the absence of the basic guarantees of a fair trial.  International human rights organizations have drawn attention to reports indicating that Islamic Republic authorities have brought trumped-up charges against their political opponents and executed them for alleged drug trafficking, sexual, and other criminal offences. Each year Iranian authorities sentence to death hundreds of alleged common criminals, following judicial processes that fail to meet international standards. The exact number of people convicted based on trumped-up charges is unknown.

Evidence of Guilt

The evidence provided against Mr. Reza was his “confession”.           

Defense

In his defense during the trial, Mr. Reza said, “I accept the charge of murdering Ali Reza (the child victim). However, I did not kill Esmat (the woman victim). My cousin, who was present at the time, murdered this woman. I knew Esmat and visited her three times a week. On the day of the incident, when I entered her apartment, there were three other men present. I suffocated Ali Reza and burned the place.”  

Judgment

According to some media reports, the court condemned Mr. Reza to death (two counts murder and one count extra marital relationship). However, some media reports stated that the defendant was condemned to death (two counts) and 100 lashes. The ruling was confirmed by Branch 33 of the Supreme Court. He was hanged in the Evin prison on December 19, 2007.        

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