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

Ali Akbar Karami

About

Age: 24
Nationality: Iran
Religion: Presumed Muslim
Civil Status: Unknown

Case

Date of Killing: July 18, 2001
Location of Killing: Qasr Prison, Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Hanging
Charges: Robbery; Murder

About this Case

News of the execution of Mr. Ali Akbar Karami, from Ilam, along with seven others, was published in the Iran newspaper on July 19, 2001. Additional information regarding his arrest and prosecution was taken from the Ettela’at newspaper on May 1, September 24, October 3, 2000, and January 3, 2001.

Arrest and detention

According to the Ettela’at newspaper, quoting the Head of Intelligence Police in Tehran, in April 2000, authorities were informed that a man, named Dr. Foruhari, was murdered at his residence while his hands and legs were cuffed and after his face and neck were injured. Following the investigation by inspectors of the Intelligence Police in Tehran and tracking of stolen cell phones, four individuals including Mr. Karami were identified and arrested. The circumstances and date of Mr. Karami’s arrest and detention are not known.

Trial

Branch 1601 of the Criminal Court of Tehran tried Mr. Karami. According to the Ettela’at newspaper on September 24, 2000, the victim’s mother demanded the death penalty for defendants at the beginning of the trial. Then the defendants began their defense. No information is available on this trial.

Charges

The charges brought against Mr. Karami were announced as “murder and robbery.” According to the media reports, he and his collaborators entered Dr. Foruhari’s house for robbery in March of 2000. They cuffed the victim’s hands and legs, suffocated him, and escaped after stealing some money and belongings.     

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 evidence presented against Mr. Karami was his “confession” and the confession of his collaborators.

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

According to the Ettela’at newspaper on September 24, 2000, in his defense, Mr. Karami stated: “Parviz suggested robbing the Doctor’s house. There were five of us who went to the house. After identifying the location and making sure that there was no janitor, Kosar and I using the gas pipe, ascended to the rooftop and entered the yard. Majid followed us. We searched the rooms and found the Doctor in the bedroom. I held his hands and Kosar tied his legs. Then we shut his mouth with a handkerchief. We left after robbing the house.”

Judgment

The court condemned Mr. Ali Akbar Karami to death, 10 years imprisonment, and 154 lashes. The Supreme Court confirmed the ruling He was hanged at the Qasr Prison yard in Tehran on July 18, 2001. 

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