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

Mohammad Reza N.

About

Nationality: Iran
Religion: Presumed Muslim
Civil Status: Unknown

Case

Date of Killing: March 19, 2003
Location of Killing: Khoramabad, Lorestan Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Hanging
Charges: Armed robbery

About this Case

News of the execution of Mr. Mohammad Reza N., along with another person, was published in the Kayhan newspaper on March 19, 2003.

Arrest and detention

Security forces in Lorestan arrested Mr. Mohammad Reza N. The circumstances of his arrest and detention are not known.

Trial

No information is available on Mr. Mohammad Reza N.’s trial.

Charges

The charges brought against Mr. Mohammad Reza N. were announced as “armed robbery and sedition.”

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 authorities have brought trumped-up charges, including drug trafficking, sexual, and other criminal offences, against their opponents (including political, civil society activists, as well as unionists and ethnic and religious minorities). 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 and executed based on trumped-up charges is unknown.

Evidence of guilt

According to the report, the evidence presented against Mr. Mohammad Reza N. was his “confession.” He and his collaborator had confessed to “committing armed robberies, robbery, harassment, sedition, and acts incompatible with chastity.”

International human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for its systematic use of severe torture and solitary confinement to obtain confessions from detainees and have questioned the authenticity of confessions obtained under duress.

Defense

No information is available on Mr. Mohammad Reza N.’s defense.

Judgment

A court condemned Mr. Mohammad Reza N. to death and the Supreme Court confirmed the ruling. He was hanged, along with the other defendant of this case, in public at a square in Khoramabad on March 19, 2003 in the morning. No specific information is available about this execution.

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