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

Khodadad Soltani

About

Nationality: Iran
Religion: Presumed Muslim
Civil Status: Unknown

Case

Date of Killing: December 3, 1984
Location of Killing: Qasr Prison, Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Hanging
Charges: Drug trafficking; Drug possession

About this Case

The execution of Mr. Khodadad Soltani, along with 24 others, was announced in a communiqué from the public relations office of the Anti-Narcotics Section of Tehran’s Public Prosecutor’s Office. The communiqué was reported in the Jomhuri Eslami Daily on December 9, 1984.

The communiqué stated: " The Anti-Narcotics Section of Tehran’s Public Prosecutor’s Office declared 25 international professional drug traffickers corruptors on earth and issued a firm and revolutionary death sentence against them. These sentences were issued following the repeated warnings by the Public Prosecutor’s Office to the drug smugglers- these death dealers and partisans of estekbar-e jahani (the universal arrogance) to repent from their hideous acts and return to the humane, Islamic society of Iran. Moreover, the Hezbollah Ummah (community) had recurrently asked the Islamic Revolution’s Tribunals for severe punishment of these persons who consciously corrupted the young in this country."

Arrest and detention

The circumstances of this defendant’s arrest and detention are not known.

Trial

No information is available on the defendant’s trial.

Charges

According to this communiqué, Mr. Soltani was charged with “establishing an international drug-trafficking gang, possessing 5.408 kg of heroin and 6.332 kg of opium when arrested, selling 35 kg of heroin, making contacts with Afghans to supply heroin, having a criminal record for supplying, distributing and transporting drugs, supplying 30 kg of heroin and transporting it to Mashad.”

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 the Islamic Republic’s authorities have brought trumped up charges against their political opponents and executed them for drug trafficking, sexual, and other criminal offences. Thousands of alleged drug traffickers have been sentenced to death 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 report of this execution does not contain information regarding the evidence provided against the defendant.

Defense

No information is available on Mr. Soltani’s defense.

Judgment

The Anti-Narcotics Islamic Revolutionary Tribunal declared Mr. Soltani a corruptor on earth and sentenced him to death. Having been confirmed by the Supreme Judicial Court, the sentence was carried out in prison at dawn.

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