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

Karim Tujehli

About

Nationality: Iran
Religion: Presumed Muslim
Civil Status: Unknown

Case

Date of Killing: January 24, 2002
Location of Killing: Central Prison (Darya), Orumieh, Azarbaijan-e Gharbi Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Unspecified execution method
Charges: Sympathizing with anti-regime guerilla groups

About this Case

News of the execution of Mr. Karim Tujehli was published on the websites of Asre-no on February 22, 2002. It was also reflected in a public call by the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran to human rights organizations on September 1, 2003.

Mr. Tujehli was a member of The Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran.

The Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (PDKI) was founded in 1945 with the objective to gain autonomy for Kurdistan, in north-west Iran.  After the Revolution, conflicts between the new central Shiite government and mainly Sunni Kurdistan regarding the role of minorities in the drafting of the constitution, specification of Shiite as the official state religion, and particularly the autonomy of the region, ended in armed clashes between the Revolutionary Guards and the Peshmerga (the militia of the PDKI).  The PDKI boycotted the referendum of April 1, 1979 when people went to polls to vote for or against the Islamic regime.  On August 19, 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini called the PDKI the “party of Satan” and declared it “unofficial and illegal.”  Mass executions and fighting broke out and continued for several months.  By 1983, PDKI had lost much of its influence in the region.  Various leaders of the PDKI have been assassinated.

Arrest and detention

According to the public call by the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran, in collaboration with the Turkish police, the Iranian regime extradited Mr. Tujehli and several other political refugees as smugglers and crooks. Mr. Tujehli was transferred to the Orumieh Prison immediately and detained until February of 2002. He was tortured in the prison. The circumstances of his arrest and detention are not known.

Trial

No information is available on Mr. Tujehli’s trial.

Charges

According to the Committee for United Action for Democracy, the charge brought against Mr. Tujehli was announced as “cooperation with the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran.”

The validity of the criminal charges brought against this defendant cannot be ascertained in the absence of the basic guarantees of a fair trial.

Evidence of guilt

The report of this execution does not contain information regarding the evidence provided against Mr. Tujehli.

Defense

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

Judgment

Mr. Karim Tujehli was executed at the Orumieh Prison on January 24, 2002. There is no detail information about this execution.

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