Zanyar And Loghman Moradi At Danger Of Execution

Iran Human Rights: Reports from the Rajaei Shahr prison of Karaj (west of Tehran) indicate that the death row Kurdish political prisoners Zanyar and Loghman Moradi might be at imminent danger of execution.

According to reliable sources in Iran, the prisoners were today handed a form with questions from the prosecutor’s office. One of the questions in the form was “what is the reason why your death sentence has not been implemented yet?”

The same sources also say that Marivan’s Friday prayer Imam has travelled to Tehran where he has been asked questions about the implementation of Zanyar and Loghman’s death sentences.

Loghman and Zanyar Moradi were sentenced to death on 22 December 2010 by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges of murdering the son of Marivan’s Friday prayer Imam. According to a statement by Ahmad Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur for the human rights in Iranon March 2012, “Zanyar and Loghman Moradi were compelled to confess to allegations of murder after being severely beaten and threatened with rape”. The statement also said:” … no evidence or witnesses were brought against these men, and that they did not have reasonable access to their legal counsel.”

Human rights’ groups are particularly concerned about possible execution of the political prisoners after the executions of six Kurdish prisoners, belonging to a Salafi group, which took place last week.

Iran Human Rights (IHR) is strongly concerned that Zanyar and Loghman Moradi might be facing imminent execution. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of IHR said: “The reports of the question form handed to Zanyar and Loghman Moradi by the prosecutor’s office and the presence of Marivan’s Friday Prayer Imam in Tehran are disturbing and indicate that Zanyar and Loghman might be at imminent danger of execution. The situation is especially serious since six Kurdish Salafi prisoners were executed last week and we have also received unconfirmed reports about the execution of several political prisoners in the near future”. Amiry-Moghaddam continued: “We urge the human rights NGOs, the UN and all the countries with diplomatic ties with Iran to use all their channels to stop the execution of these prisoners”.