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

Nasser Shir Aqa

About

Nationality: Iran
Religion: Presumed Muslim
Civil Status: Unknown

Case

Date of Killing: September, 2003
Location of Killing: Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Hanging
Charges: Armed robbery

About this Case

News of the execution of Mr. Naser Shir Aqa was published in the Iran newspaper on September 9, 2003. Additional information regarding his prosecution was taken from the Ettela’at newspaper of November 20, 2001.

Arrest and detention

The circumstances of Mr. Shir Aqa’s arrest and detention are not known. According to the Ettela’at newspaper, without mentioning the date of arrest, inspectors of the Intelligence Police in Tehran were able to follow clues, identify, and arrest a group of thieves and their collaborators.

Trial

Branch 15 of the Public Court of Tehran tried Mr. Shir Aqa. No information is available on his trial.

Charges

According to the Iran newspaper, the charges brought against Mr. Shir Aqa and the other 30 members of this network were collectively announced as “stealing 12,796,758,000 Rials, $316,830, and 37.3 kilograms of gold from 180 victims.”According to the Ettela’at newspaper, these thieves and purse snatchers entered a bank as a customers and identified individuals with large sums of money and bank notes. Then they informed their collaborators outside the bank by cell phone to follow, attack, and rob them at the first opportunity. They also identified people who bought gold in Tehran Bazar, followed and robbed them after puncturing their cars’ tires.  

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. Shir Aqa and other members of the gang was their “confession” and the complaints by plaintiffs. During the trial, several plaintiffs described how their belongings were stolen. Some claimed that the robbers knew exactly where they kept their money such as in which pocket.

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

No information is available on Mr. Shir Aqa’s defense.

Judgment

The court identified Mr. Naser Shir Aqa as Mohareb (fighter against God) and condemned him to death. He was hanged in Tehran in September of 2003. The exact date of his execution is unknown. According to the Iran newspaper, after the death penalty against 12 members of this gang was confirmed, their cases were referred to the Sentence Enforcement of the Tehran Criminal Court to be carried out in several months. However, they had not been carried out due to judicial reasons and Mr. Shir Aqa was the first to be executed. 

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