Iranian Man at Risk of Execution: Gholamreza Khosravi Savadjani
The family of Gholamreza Khosravi Savadjani, aged 50, stated that he was told in July 2012 that his death sentence will be implemented on 10 September. Held in Tehran’s Evin Prison since July 2011, he has reportedly spent over 40 months in solitary confinement in various detention centres since his arrest in 2008, including in Section 240 of Evin Prison. After his arrest, he is alleged to have been held in a Ministry of Intelligence detention facility in Kerman, southern Iran, where he is said to have been tortured or ill-treated, reportedly after refusing to make a “confession”..
Gholamreza Khosravi Savadjani was arrested in 2008 in Rafsanjan, Kerman Province, in connection with his alleged support of the pro-PMOI TV station Sima-ye Azadi (Voice of Freedom). In 2008 he was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment, three years of which were suspended. Following an appeal by the Ministry of Intelligence, the three-year suspended sentence was implemented, bringing his total sentence to 6 years actual imprisonment. Following further legal proceedings, including two retrials, he was sentenced to death after conviction of a fresh charge of “enmity against God” (moharebeh) for his alleged ties to the PMOI, which the Supreme Court confirmed on 21 April 2012.
Please write immediately in Persian, Arabic, English or your own language:
Calling on the Iranian authorities not to execute Gholamreza Khosravi Savadjani, or anyone else sentenced to death and remind them that under international law, the death penalty can only be carried out for “the most serious crimes” which must be “intentional crimes with lethal or other extremely grave consequences;
Expressing concern that Gholamreza Khosravi Savadjani did not receive a fair trial, and urging the authorities to investigate the allegations that he was tortured and to bring to justice anyone found responsible for abuses;
Calling on the authorities to make sure Gholamreza Khosravi Savadjani is protected from torture and other ill-treatment; is granted all necessary medical treatment; and allowed immediate and regular contact with his lawyers and family.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 10 SEPTEMBER 2012 TO:
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Leader of the Islamic Republic
Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street – End of Shahid
Keshvar Doust Street,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: "#Iran Leader
@khamenei_ir must ensure Gholamreza Khosravi Savadjani is not executed”
Salutation: Your Excellency
Head of the Tehran Judiciary
Mr Ali Reza Avaie
No. 152, corner of 17th, Before Shahid
Motahhary Ave, Sanaei Ave, Karmkhan
Zand Ave.
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: +98 21 883 26700
Salutation: Mr.
And copies to:
Secretary General High Council for Human Rights
Mohammed Javad Larijani
c/o Office of the Head of the Judicary
Pasteur St, Vali Asr Ave
South of Serah-e Jomhouri
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: [email protected]
(Subject line: FAO Mohammad Javad Larijani)�
Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country.
Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.
URGENT ACTION
IRANIAN MAN AT RISK OF EXECUTION
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
In November 2009, following a new charge of “enmity against God” brought against Gholamreza Khosravi Savadjani, Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court ruled that the case fell outside the court’s jurisdiction, reportedly because Gholamreza Khosravi Savadjani had already been tried and sentenced for his alleged PMOI support in 2008. The Supreme Court overturned this ruling and sent the case back to Branch 26 for retrial. Following a retrial in 2010, he was sentenced to death for “enmity against God” (moharebeh). The Supreme Court overturned the death sentence and sent the case back to Branch 26 for a second time. During the second retrial, the court again sentenced Gholamreza Khosravi Savadjani to death. On 21 April 2012, the Supreme Court confirmed this sentence.
Gholamreza Khosravi Savadjani previously spent five years in prison, which he served in Kazeroun Prison and Adel-Abad Prison, in Fars Province, south-west Iran, from 1981 to 1986, for his alleged ties to the PMOI.
The PMOI is a banned opposition group based in Iraq which advocates the overthrow of the Iranian government. The PMOI has previously engaged in armed action against the Iranian government.
A teacher, Abdolreza Ghanbari, has also been sentenced to death for his alleged links to the PMOI. Abdolreza Ghanbari was arrested at his workplace after anti-government demonstrations took place on 27 December 2009 to mark the Ashoura religious commemorations, at the end of six months of protests following the disputed presidential election of 2009. Held in Evin Prison since his arrest, where he was reportedly tortured or otherwise ill-treated and denied access to a lawyer. Abdolreza Ghanbari was tried unfairly before Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on 30 January 2010 and sentenced to death for moharebeh (“enmity against God”) for alleged links to the PMOI. The sentence was upheld on appeal, and his request for a pardon from the Amnesty and Clemency Commission was rejected at the end of February 2012. Once his death sentence has been approved by the Head of the Judiciary, it will be sent for implementation. Others in Iran feared to be facing imminent execution after conviction of political offences are; Habibollah Golparipour, Zaniar Moradi, and Loghman Moradi (members of Iran’s Kurdish minority), Mansour Heidari, and Amir Muawi (or Mo’avi) (members of Iran’s Ahwazi Arab minority); Saeed Malekpour; and Hamid Ghassemi-Shall.
The Iranian authorities resort extensively to the imposition of the death penalty, with over 600 executions reported in the country from official and unofficial sources in 2011. In November 2011, the UN Human Rights Committee, which oversees implementation of the ICCPR, expressed concern about the number of death sentences imposed and carried out in Iran in its Concluding Observations. The Committee stated that the Iranian authorities “should consider abolishing the death penalty or at least revise the Penal Code to restrict the imposition of the death penalty to only the ‘most serious crimes’”. For further information regarding the use of the death penalty in Iran in 2011, see Amnesty International: Death Sentences and Executions in 2011, (MDE ACT 50/001/2012), 27 March 2012, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ACT50/001/2012/en. So far this year, the Iranian authorities have acknowledged the execution of at least 178 people, 35 of them put to death in public. Amnesty International has received credible reports of 94 other executions which were not officially acknowledged, mostly of people convicted of drugs offences. Saeed Sedeghi is reportedly facing imminent execution after conviction of a drugs offence following an unfair trial.
Name: Gholamreza Khosravi Savadjani
Gender m/f: m
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UA: 240/12 Index: MDE 13/058/2012 Issue Date: 10 August 2012