Kurdish religious prisoner Anwar Khezri Executed After 15 Years Amid total Silence
Hengaw: Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Anwar Khezri, a Kurdish religious prisoner from Mahabad, faced the implementation of his death sentence in Ghezel Hesar prison in Karaj after enduring 15 years of imprisonment. Despite the recent executions of his co-accused Davud Abdollahi, Qasim Abeste, and Ayoub Karimi in the past few months, Farhad Salimi met the same fate.
According to a report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, Farhad Salimi, who spent fifteen years in prison without the right to leave, was executed in Ghezel Hesar prison in Karaj, in secrecy.
An informed source informed Hengaw that Khezri had been moved to solitary confinement on Tuesday. His family, who were notified at the last minute about his transfer, traveled from Mahabad to Kraj to have a final meeting, but unfortunately, they were unable to meet with Anwar Khezri.
Strongly condemning the execution of Anwar Khezri, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights emphasizes that this political prisoner faced a death sentence through a process that was completely non-transparent, unfair, and illegal within the judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
It's worth mentioning that in recent months, four other individuals from Anwar Khezri's co-accused group, namely Davud Abdullahi, Ayoub Karimi, Qasim Abeste, and Farhad Salimi, were executed in the same prison.
Davud Abdullahi, Farhad Salimi, Anwar Khezri, Qasim Abeste, Khsraw Besharat, Kamaran Shekha, and Ayoub Karimi were apprehended on December 7, 2009, by security forces and were subsequently transferred to the intelligence agency detention center in Urmia City.
Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, under the leadership of Judge Moqiseh, handed down the death sentences for these prisoners. The charges against them in the murder case of "Abdul Rahim Tina" included "action against national security," "propaganda against the regime," "membership in Salafi groups," and "corruption on earth."
The session for the accusations against these 7 Kurdish religious prisoners took place in March 2015, with the mentioned sentences officially communicated to them on May 25, 2016.
It's noteworthy that the verdict was overturned by the 41st branch of the Iranian Supreme Court, headed by Judge Razini, in 2017. An appeal was made to the 15th branch of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran, where, in June 2017, Anwar Khezri and six other co-accused were again sentenced to death by Judge Abolqasem Salvati.
This verdict was confirmed by the 41st branch of the Iranian Supreme Court with repeated pressure from the Iranian Intelligence Department in Urmia. On Monday, March 4, 2020, it was officially communicated to Mahmoud Walizadeh Tabatabai, the lawyer representing these seven Kurdish religious prisoners.
These seven individuals were initially incarcerated in Gohardasht prison and were later transferred to Ghezel Hesar prison in Karaj on August 1, 2023, following the evacuation of Gohardasht prison.
