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 Mehdi Baladi

About

Age: 21
Nationality: Iran
Religion: Presumed Muslim
Civil Status: Unknown

Case

Date of Killing: March 13, 1997
Location of Killing: Shahin Shahr, Esfahan Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Hanging
Charges: Adultery; Unspecified offense

About this Case

The execution of Mr. Mohammad Mehdi Baladi, son of Ali, along with three other individuals, was announced in the communiqué of the Public Relations Officer of Esfahan Court and published in the Kayhan newspaper and on the website of the Hamshahri newspaper (as Mohammad Mehri Baladi) on March 14, 1997.

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 other than it took place at the Esfahan Province Court.

Charges

The charges against the defendant were announced as “four counts of kidnapping and committing adultery with two of the kidnapped individuals.”

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 the defendant was his own “confessions.”

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. In the case of political detainees, these confessions are, at times, televised. The National Television broadcasts confessions during which prisoners plead guilty to vague and false charges, repent and renounce their political beliefs, and/or implicate others. Human rights organizations have also pointed to the pattern of retracted confessions by those prisoners who are freed.

Defense

No information is available on his defense.

Judgment

The court condemned Mr. Mohammad Mehdi Baladi to death and, after the ruling was confirmed by the Supreme Court, he was hanged in public in Shahin Shahr (Esfehan province) on March 14, 1997.

Correct/ Complete This Entry