The death sentence of Qasim Abesteh, a Kurdish religious prisoner, carried out in the Qezelhesar prison in Karaj
The death sentence of Qasim Abesteh, a Kurdish religious prisoner imprisoned in the Qezelhesar prison
Hengaw: Sunday, November 5, 2023
The death sentence of Qasim Abesteh, a Kurdish religious prisoner imprisoned in the Qezelhesar prison in Karaj, has been carried out after nearly 14 years of imprisonment.
According to the report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, at dawn on Sunday, November 5, 2023, the death sentence of Qasim Abesteh, a Kurdish religious prisoner from Mahabad, was carried out in Qazalhasar prison in Karaj after serving 13 years and 9 months of imprisonment.
By condemning this crime, Hengaw considers it an example of a fundamental violation of human rights, and believing that human life should be respected regardless of one's religious beliefs, he considers the right to believe in a religion to be a fundamental right, the violation of which is execution, which is obnoxious.
Qasim Abasteh was arrested by the Iranian security forces on December 7, 2009, and transferred to the detention center of the Iranian Intelligence in Urmia.
As the last accused in the murder case of "Abdul Rahim Tina" along with six other Kurdish religious activists, named Dawud Abdullahi, Farhad Salimi, Anwar Khezri, Khosrow Basharat, Kamran Sheikha, and Ayub Karimi, they were sentenced to death on charges such as "action against national security", "propaganda against the regime", "membership in Salafi groups," and "corruption on earth" by Branch 28 of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran, headed by Judge Moghiseh.
The session to proceed with the accusations of these 7 Kurdish religious prisoners was held at the end of March 2015, and the mentioned sentences were officially communicated to them on May 25, 2016.
It should be mentioned that the mentioned verdict was overturned by the 41st branch of the Iranian Supreme Court headed by Judge Razini in 2017, and an appeal was made to the 15th branch of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran. In June 2017, Qasim Abesteh and six other co-accused were sentenced to death by Branch 15 of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran, headed by Judge Abolqasem Salavati.
The mentioned verdict was confirmed by the 41st branch of the Iranian Supreme Court with repeated pressure from the Iranian Intelligence Department in Urmia, and on Monday, March 4, 2020, it was officially announced to Mahmoud Walizadeh Tabatabai, the lawyer of these seven Kurdish religious prisoners.
These seven Kurdish religious prisoners were imprisoned in Gohardasht prison and were transferred to Qezelhesar prison in Karaj on August 1, 2023, after the evacuation of this prison.
Qasim Abesteh was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and went on hunger strike many times as a sign of protest during his 14 years of imprisonment.
