Kurdish political prisoner Saman Mohammadi Khiyareh faces imminent execution in Ghezel Hesar Prison, Karaj
Hengaw: Tuesday, December 17, 2024
Kurdish political prisoner Saman Mohammadi Khiyareh, 34, from Sanandaj (Sine), faces an imminent risk of execution after judicial authorities of Iran rejected his retrial request without notifying his family, a move that has deepened concerns over the lack of transparency and fairness in his case.
According to a report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Saman’s execution is highly likely to take place at dawn on Wednesday, December 18, 2024. His parents, who have been in Tehran for two days appealing to judicial authorities, have so far been unable to halt the execution.
A source close to the case stated, “The judiciary has not responded to the family’s appeals or provided any explanation regarding the rejection of the retrial request. Saman only learned of the decision after being transferred to solitary confinement in recent days.”
Saman was moved to solitary confinement in Ghezel Hesar Prison, Karaj, on Saturday, December 14, 2024, as part of the preparations for his execution. Arrested at the age of 19, Saman has spent the past 15 years in prison without a single day of furlough.
Saman Mohammadi Khiyareh was arrested 15 years ago by Ministry of Intelligence forces and sentenced to death by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolghasem Salavati. He was convicted on charges of “waging war against God (moharebeh)” and “membership in anti-revolutionary terrorist groups linked to foreign intelligence services.”
Saman was denied access to legal representation during his detention and trial. Sources also indicate that he was subjected to severe torture and coerced into confessing to crimes, including the killing of Khalifeh Ebrahim Farhadi in Qorveh and a military officer in Sanandaj during the 2009 Green Movement protests.
Government-affiliated media have previously implicated members of the alleged group in multiple high-profile incidents, including, the killing of two police officers, the assassination of religious leaders, including Mullah Borhan (temporary Friday prayer leader in Sanandaj) and Mohammad Sheikh-ol-Islam (Sanandaj’s representative in the Assembly of Experts), and the abduction and murder of Khalifeh Ebrahim Farhadi in Qorveh.
