Document - Iran

Document - Iran: Further information on death sentence / unfair trial / torture: Ya'qoub Mehrnehad (m)

PUBLIC AI Index: MDE 13/048/2008
12 March 2008

Further Information on UA 38/08 (MDE 13/038/2008, 12 February 2008) – Death sentence/Unfair trial/ Torture

IRAN Ya'qoub Mehrnehad (m), aged 28, member of Iran’s Baluchi minority

A Judiciary spokesman confirmed at a press conference on 19 February that Ya’qoub Mehrnehad had been sentenced to death.

Judiciary spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi told the press conference that Ya'qoub Mehrnehad had been sentenced to death for "contacts with the Jondallah group", but also said that the sentence was open to appeal before the Supreme Court. Ya’qoub Mehrnehad was sentenced to death after an unfair trial and may have been tortured. He may have been arrested solely for his peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and association during his journalism and his activities as head of a legally registered NGO, The Voice of Justice Young People’s Society (VJYPS), which organises events such as concerts and educational courses for young Baluchi people and raises funds to help the poor.
On the day of the press conference, Ya’qoub Mehrnehad was permitted a visit by his family, the first for about two months. His family were summoned at short notice. During that meeting, they were told to speak only in Persian, not Baluchi. According to a Baluchi source, Ya’qoub Mehrnehad told his family, "I am not guilty and this has happened unjustly and if I am executed, people will know that I have been executed without [having committed] a crime."

Ya'qoub's 16-year-old brother Ebrahim, Ebrahim’s 16-year-old friend, and two other Baluchi men who are members of VJYPShave been arrested, according to local Baluchi sources, and are in grave danger of torture. Their whereabouts are unknown. See UA 68/08, MDE 13/048/2008, 12 March 2008.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The Baluchi armed group, the People's Resistance of Movement of Iran (PRMI), formerly known as Jondallah has carried out a number of attacks on Iranian officials and has sometimes taken hostages and killed them. It reportedly seeks to defend the rights of the Baluchi people, though government officials have claimed that it is involved in drug smuggling and terrorist activities and has ties to foreign governments.

Attacks by the PRMI have been followed by widespread arrests of members of the Baluchi minority, many of whom Baluchi sources claim are not connected to the attacks. In 2007, at least 312 people, and perhaps many more, were executed in Iran. There was a marked rise in the number of Baluchis executed.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in English, French, Arabic, Persian or your own language:
- calling on the authorities not to execute Ya’qoub Mehrnehad, and to commute his death sentence immediately;
- asking for details of the charges against Ya’qoub Mehrnehad, by which court he was tried, whether he had a lawyer of his own choice, whether he has been able to exercise his right to appeal against his conviction and sentence;
- expressing concern at reports that he has been tortured, and reminding the authorities that the use of confessions extracted under duress is prohibited by Article 38 of the Constitution of Iran;
- urging that he be released if he has been detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and association.
APPEALS TO:

Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh / Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri, Tehran 1316814737, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: info@dadgostary-tehran.ir (In the subject line write: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi)
Salutation: Your Excellency

Leader of the Islamic Republic
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader, Islamic Republic Street - Shahid Keshvar Doust Street
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: info@leader.ir
Salutation: Your Excellency

Governor of Sistan - Baluchistan province
Mr Dahmarde, Governor
Salutation: Dear Sir
COPIES TO:

President
His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Presidency, Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir
(via website) www.president.ir/email/
Speaker of Parliament
His Excellency Gholamali Haddad Adel
Majles-e Shoura-ye Eslami, Baharestan Square, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: +98 21 3355 6408
Email: hadadadel@majlis.ir (Ask for your message to be passed to the Article 90 Commission)

and to diplomatic representatives of Iran accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 22 April 2008.

Yaghub Mehrnahad, a Baluchi blogwriter, is in imminent danger of execution by the Iranian government.

The Iranian government has sentenced Mr. Yaghub Mehrnahad, an Iranian blogwriter to death. He has been in detention for 10 months without any reason. His family and his lawyer were able to visit him after 5 months and saw that he had lost about 15 kilograms and could not maintain balance.

Mr. Mehrnahad is in imminent danger of execution because the Iranian government tries to terrorize the blogwriters and the baluchi youth . Last month right arms and left legs of 5 Baluchi youth were cut off. Iran has record number of executions just in the first two months of 2008. Mr. Mehrnahad has been working within the limits allowed by the Iranian government. There was no legitimate reason for his arrest.

This also sets precedence for execution of anyone who expresses his views in a blog. We ask for your immediate intervention to save Mr. Mehrnahad's life. It is a proven fact that the Iranian government responds only to the international pressure.

We ask you not to remain silent and help save an innocent life.

Please join us by changing the name of your blog to "Free Mehrnahad" for a week from today ( Feb 21) and give a link to this page. Call the human rights organizations and ask them to do all in their power to save Mr. Mehrnahad's life.
E- mail Address& tele fax no for help:

Mail: Petitions TeamOffice of the High Commissioner for Human Rights United Nations Office at Geneva1211 Geneva 10, SwitzerlandFax: + 41 22 917 9022(particularly for urgent matters)E-mail: tb-petitions@ohchr.org
Mail: Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Womenc/o Division for the Advancement of Women, Department of Economic and Social AffairsUnited Nations Secretariat2 United Nations Plaza, DC-2/12th FloorNew York, NY 10017, United States of America Fax: + 1-212-963-3463

Mail: Commission/Sub-Commission Team (1503 Procedure)Support Services BranchOffice of the High Commissioner for Human Rights United Nations Office at Geneva1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland Fax: + 41 22 917 9011E-mail: 1503@ohchr.org

Mail: Commission on the Status of Womenc/o Division for the Advancement of Women, Department of Economic and Social AffairsUnited Nations Secretariat2 United Nations Plaza, DC-2/12th FloorNew York, NY 10017, United States of America Fax: + 1-212-963-3463
Mail: Administrative Section Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, SwitzerlandFax: + 41 22 917 90 24E-mail: personnel@ohchr.org
Mail: Indigenous Project TeamOffice of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, UNOG-OHCHRCH-1211 Geneva 10, SwitzerlandTelephone: + 41 22 917 9434 or 917 9272Fax: + 41 22 917 9010 E-mail: fellowship_prog@ohchr.org
Sylvie Saddier-Calame
Human Rights Officer
Office of the high commissioner for human rights
Mailing address:
UNOG-OHCHR
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
Fax: 0041-22-917-9006
ssaddier@ohchr.org
---------------------------------------------------------
Jurmi Wangchuk
Human rights officer
Capacity building and field operations branch
Office of the high commissioner for human rights
UNOG-OHCHR
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
Fax: 0041-22-917-9192
jwangchuk@ohchr.org
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Tarek Radwan
1630 connecticut avenue
V.W. suite 500
Washington DC 20009
USA
Fax: 001-202-612-4333
radwant@hrw.org
--------------------------------------------------------------
Ms Yannime Poc
Asia- pacific Team coordinatitor
Fax: 0041-22-917-9018
ypoc@ohchr.org
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Ann Harrison
Amnesty International
International secretariat
Peter Benson House
1 Easton street
London WC1X ODW
UK
Fax: 0044-20-7413-5719
eastgulf@amnesty.org
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Tel: +41 22 738 04 81Fax: +41 22 738 17 91
hrwgva@hrw.org
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Human Rights Watch
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Fax: 0044-20-7713-1800
hrwuk@hrw.org
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Human Rights watch
Markgrafenstr. 15 D-10969 Berlin, Germany
Tel: 0049-30-2593060Fax: 0049-30-25930629
berlin@hrw.org
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The Association of Iranian Blogwriters (penlog) condemns the execution sentence for Mr. Yaghub Mehrnahad, a fellow Baluchi blogwriter.

Penlog
کانون وب‌لاگ‌نويسان ايران پن‌لاگ

۱۳۸۶ چهار شنبه ۱ اسفند
2/20/2008

The Association of Iranian Blogwriters (penlog) condemns the execution sentence for Mr. Yaghub Mehrnahad, a fellow Baluchi blogwriter.

Last week the Iranian judiciary system sentenced Mr. Yaghub Mehrnahad, the writer of “Mehrnahadâ€‌ blog (http://mehrnahad.blogfa.com/) to death. Mr. Mehrnahad’s trial happened after 10 months of incarceration and in the absence of his lawyer, his family and without a jury.

Mr. Mehrnahad is the head of “Voice of Justiceâ€‌ youth association, which promotes concerts and other legal activities allowed by Iranian law . He was arrested with no given reason after participating in a question and answer meeting, where the governor of Zahedan was also present. His family and his lawyer were able to meet him after 5 months and observed signs of sever torture. He had lost about 15 kilograms and could not maintain his balance.

Execution order for Mr. Mehrnahad that sets precedence for execution of blogwriters for expressing their views. In Iran, any different view is confronted with inhumane sentences such as flogging, mutilation of legs and arms and execution for false reasons such as “ acting against the national securityâ€‌, “ relations with foreigners and opposition groupsâ€‌.

The Association of Iranian Blog Writers (Penlog) asks for an immediate stop to the execution order for Mr. Mehrnahad. Penlog urges the human rights organizations not to remain silent against this new wave of oppression of blogwriters and activists in Iran and try to stop the execution of Mr. Mehrnahad in any possible way.

The Association of Iranian Blog Writers (Penlog)

(http://penlog.blogspot.com/
http://penlog-en.blogspot.com/