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

Abdollah Z.

About

Nationality: Iran
Religion: Presumed Muslim
Civil Status: Unknown

Case

Date of Killing: May 3, 2005
Location of Killing: Evin Prison, Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Hanging
Charges: Murder

About this Case

The execution of Mr. Abdollah Z., known as Hatam Gorgi, along with 3 other individuals, was announced in the Hamshahri newspaper (April 12 and May 5, 2005) and the Iran newspaper (May 5, 2005).

Arrest and detention

According to Hamshahri, eleven members of a crime-ring were arrested subsequent to a murder, which took place in November 2002.

Trial

Mr. Abdollah Z. was tried at the Tehran Criminal Court, Branch 1157. No other information is available.

Charges

According to Iran, Mr. Abdollah Z. was charged with: managing a crime-ring of armed individuals and murder of a young man who went for a walk to the Lavizan Forest along with his wife.

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. 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

Mr. Abdollah Z reportedly confessed to the murder. There were inconsistencies regarding his confessions. Hamshahri reported: “At the first court session… Hatam Gorgi told the judge… that he had committed the murder…” However, the same article added that the defendant’s nephew, another member of this crime-ring, also confessed to the murder.

Regarding to the witnesses who identified the defendant, Hamshahri reported: “Only 3 days after the shooting, Rosa, the victim’s wife, came to the police station and identified the killer of her husband. Moreover, one of the officers of Police Station Number 164, was able to identify one of the gang members, who had been surrounded and wounded by the police.”

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 the defense.

Judgment

The court condemned Mr. Abdollah Z. to death; and the Supreme Court approved the sentence. He was hanged at Evin prison on May 3, 2005.

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