Qezelhesar Prison; hunger strike of four prisoners of conscience sentenced to death and co-defendant of Davoud Abdollahi

January 3; Anwar Khezri, Kamran Sheikheh, Khosro Besharat, and Mamosta Farhad Salimi, four prisoners of conscience sentenced to death and co-defendants of Davoud Abdollahi, went on hunger strike four days ago in Qezelhesar Prison in Karaj following the serious risk of execution of Mr. Abdollahi.

According to an informed source to Kurdpa; these prisoners have gone on a dry hunger strike and are on the fourth day of their strike. They went on hunger strike in protest of the serious risk of the execution of Davoud Abdollahi, (who was finally executed on January 2), and the execution of their sentences. Until the publication of this report, they are on hunger strike.

Following the execution of Qasem Abesteh, Ayoub Karimi, and Davoud Abdollahi, three Kurdish prisoners of conscience, on November 5, November 29, and January 2, the risk of execution of Anwar Khezri, Kamran Sheikheh, Khosro Besharat, and Farhad Salimi has also increased sharply. Especially since the death sentences of these prisoners have been referred to the prison's execution of sentences and the security agencies have asked the prison officials to execute the sentences as soon as possible.

After the execution of Qasem Abesteh and Ayoub Karimi, the security agencies had told the families of other prisoners to remain silent until they at least received the bodies of the executed.

The case of these prisoners is very vague and full of legal flaws and unfair judicial process. So far, no lawyer has seen their case and the prisoners themselves have repeatedly emphasized that their sentences were the result of forced confessions under torture and months of detention and interrogation in solitary confinement.

These prisoners of conscience were sentenced to death in a joint case on charges of "corruption on earth". After 14 years in prison, the death sentences of Qasem Abesteh, Ayoub Karimi, and Davoud Abdollahi were executed in Qezelhesar Prison in Karaj.

The case of these prisoners was referred to the Supreme Court in 2019, after the finalization of the death sentence. Also, in September 2020, Branch 38 of the Supreme Court rejected the request for a trial of these prisoners of conscience sentenced to death.

Anwar Khezri, Kamran Sheikheh, Khosro Besharat, Davoud Abdollahi, Farhad Salimi, Qasem Abesteh, and Ayoub Karimi were arrested by security forces in the cities of Saqqez and Mahabad in the winter of 2009 and transferred to the Urmia Intelligence Detention Center. These 7 prisoners of conscience were tortured physically and mentally for several months in this security detention center to make forced confessions.

After the end of the interrogation period in the Urmia Intelligence Detention Center, these 7 prisoners of conscience were transferred to Evin Prison in Tehran and were interrogated for 6 months in solitary cells of wards 240 and 209 of Evin Prison. In March 2012, these prisoners were transferred to Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj.

In March 2015, the court session of these 7 prisoners was held on charges such as "acting against national security", "propaganda against the system", "membership in Salafi groups" and "corruption on earth" in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Judge Moghiseh, and the death sentence was officially communicated to them on in May 2016, After the lawyer objected to this verdict, the case was referred to the Supreme Court and then this verdict was overturned.

After referring this case to Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Judge Salavati, in May 2018, these 7 prisoners were sentenced to death again on charges of "corruption on earth". After the lawyer's objection to the verdict, the case was referred to Branch 41 of the Supreme Court and finally, this verdict was confirmed exactly.

Anwar Khezri, Kamran Sheikheh, and Khosro Besharat were tried in Jun 2019, in another separate case by the Urmia Court of Appeal on charges of "premeditated murder" of a Sunni cleric named Abdolrahim Tina. Based on the verdicts issued in Jun 2019, Anwar Khezri and Khosro Besharat were sentenced to 10 years in prison for "participation in murder" and Kamran Sheikheh was sentenced to retribution (execution) for "premeditated murder".

These 7 prisoners of conscience were transferred to Qezelhesar Prison in August of this year after the closure and evacuation of Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj.