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

Abbas B.

About

Nationality: Iran
Religion: Presumed Muslim
Civil Status: Unknown

Case

Date of Killing: January 4, 2016
Location of Killing: Miandorud, Mazandaran Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Hanging
Charges: Murder

About this Case

The execution of Mr. Abbas B. was reported by the Public Relations Office of the Mazandaran Province Ministry of Justice Website (January 4, 2016) and the Security Forces News Site (January 4, 2016).  Additional information was gathered from the following websites: Fars News Service (August 5, 2015), Journalists’ Association (July 29 and May 5, 2015), Varash News (June 25, 2015), Iran Newspaper (June 11, May 17, and May 21, 2015), Tabari News (May 14, 2015), Myanjir (May 14, 2015) and Baran e Shomal (May 7, 2015).

Mr. Abbas B. was 38, married, and lived in the town of Myandorood.  He was employed by one of the pseudo-governmental offices in Mazandaran Province.  His case has to do with the murder of a young woman in Myandorood, Mazandaran Province.

On April 29, 2015, a young woman in the village of Darab Kola, in the neighborhood of Myandorood, got into a black Pride taxi, in order to go to the dentist in Sari.  After several days of not knowing what had happened to her, the people of the village gathered in front of the local Neka constabulary, and demanded the officials look into her disappearance (Young Journalists’ Association, May 5, 2015, Baran e Shomal, May 7, 2015).  Mr. Abbas B. was the driver of the Pride that had picked up the young woman. 

Arrest and detention

There have been conflicting reports published about the circumstances of Mr. Abbas B.’s arrest.  According to the first report that was published in a local paper, two weeks after a young woman had disappeared, Mr. Abbas B. surrendered to the police.  He said that he and a friend had picked up the woman as a passenger.  They had stolen her jewelry, murdered her, and abandoned her body in the woods near one of the villages of Jareeb Neka (Tabari News, May 14, 2015).

Trial

Branch 2 of the Criminal Court of Mazandaran Province I, tried Mr. Abbas B. in three sessions.  The first session met at 10 am, on June 9, 2015.  There were five judges, the family of the victim and their lawyer, Mr. Abbas B. with his court-appointed counsel, and the other defendant with his court-appointed lawyer in attendance.  The court was in session until 2:30 pm (Iran Newspaper, June 11, 2015).

The second session was convened on Thursday, June 25, 2015.  Mr. Abbas B. and his appointed lawyer, the second defendant and his appointed lawyer, the family of the victim and their lawyer, and three judges were in session from 10 am until the end of the day.  In this session, the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor of Neka indicted the defendants and asked for them to be sentenced. The parents and the husband of the victim also asked for the defendants to be punished.  According to published accounts, Mr. Abbas B. stated in court that he had personally inflicted knife and ax blows on the victim (Varash News, June 25, 2015).  According to available information, considering the fact that the body had been nearly destroyed by wild animals, the court ordered the Medical Examiner to perform DNA tests on the remains (Varash News, June 25, 2015).

The third court session met on July 29, 2015, from 10 am until 1 pm.  In this session, the judge announced that according to DNA testing of the remains, the bones were those of the victim.  The prosecutor requested the maximum sentence, and the family of the victim requested the defendants to be hung in public, at the site of the crime, as retribution.  The judge heard the defense statements and announced that the panel of judges would announce the verdict after a week (Young Journalists’ Club, July 29, 2015).

Charges

According to available information, the charge brought against Mr. Abbas B. was “accomplice to murder in the first degree, kidnapping, and aggravated robbery”.

Evidence of guilt

According to available information, the remains that were discovered and identified as the victim by DNA testing, along with her clothes and shoes, were entered as evidence in this case.  The discovery of gold and other jewelry, belonging to the victim, that had been sold to a third defendant, was also entered as evidence.  The confessions of Mr. Abbas B. and his co-defendants, during the police investigation and also in court, provided additional items of evidence in his case (Varash News, June 25, 2015, and Young Journalists’ Club, May 5, 2015).

Defense

According to available information, Mr. Abbas B. stated in court that he and the second defendant intended to commit robbery. That was why they picked up the victim.  He said, “We thought she was well to do. After a while, my friend got into the back seat and threatened her with a knife, to keep her quiet.  The young woman tried to jump out of the car.  At that point, my friend stabbed her with the knife a few times, and pushed her head under the seat.”  Mr. Abbas B. said that the victim had seen his face, so they proceeded towards the woods around Neka.  After they took her valuables, afraid of being identified, they dumped her half-dead body in a valley in the Ghormaraz Woods and fled the scene.  After a while, they worried that she might still be alive.  They went back and killed her.  Mr. Abbas B. said he was so frightened that he did not look at the victim while he was stabbing her.  According to published accounts, Mr. Abbas B. was crying in court. 

Mr. Abbas B. had previously said that “My friend was supposed to just threaten the woman, but he stabbed her with his knife.” 

There are no further details available on the defense proceedings of Mr. Abbas B. (Iran Newspaper, May 17, 2015, and Young Journalists’ Club, May 5, 2015).

Judgment

According to available information, the panel of judges sentenced Mr. Abbas B. to death by hanging (retaliation for taking a life) in public, in the town of Myandorood, for murder in the first degree; 15 years prison for kidnapping and fencing stolen goods; ten years prison and 74 lashes (under the civil code) for complicity in aggravated robbery and assault (Fars News, August 5, 2015).

Mr. Abbas B. was executed on January 4, 2016, in public, at the scene of the crime - the three-way intersection of IslamAbad, -in the township of Sourak, Myandorood.  The head of the Ministry of Justice, the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor of the town of Myandorood, and other officials were present (Mazandaran Province Ministry of Justice Public Relations Website, January 4, 2016).

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