Human rights organizations; the death sentence for four Kurdish political prisoners is strongly condemned and in contradiction with all human rights principles

With the issuance of the death sentence for four Kurdish political prisoners named Pejman Fatehi, Vafa Azarbar, Mohsen Mazloum, and Mohammad (Hejir) Faramarzi and the referral of the case to the execution of the verdicts of the Tehran court after the confirmation of the verdict in the Supreme Court, the execution of the death sentences of these four political prisoners is imminent and their lives are in danger of the Islamic Republic's gallows at any moment.

While these four political prisoners have been deprived of a fair trial for nearly 18 months with enforced disappearance, about two months ago, they were sentenced to death by Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran, headed by Judge "Iman Afshari", on charges of "waging war through espionage for Israel". In recent days, after the confirmation of this verdict in Branch 9 of the Supreme Court, the case was sent to the execution of the verdicts of the Tehran court and there is a risk of executing the death sentence of these four Kurdish political prisoners at any moment.

Mohsen Mazloum from Mahabad, Hejir (Mohammad) Faramarzi from Dehgolan of Sanandaj, Vafa Azarbar from Bokan, and Pejman Fathi from Kamyaran, four members of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, were arrested by the security forces of the Islamic Republic in the village of "Yengjeh" in the Soma region of Urmia on Jun 23, 2022. After a few months, the Islamic Republic broadcasted the forced confessions of these prisoners and claimed that they "intended to explode one of the aircraft factories in Isfahan". The Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan strongly and strongly rejected this claim and the accusations of the Islamic Republic against its members and considered it a document for the further suppression of Kurdistan and the struggles of the people, especially in the period of widespread protests in Kurdistan and Iran. It also confirmed that these four people had gone to Iran to carry out organizational activities and had no ammunition or weapons. The admission is that these four political prisoners have been living in absolute ignorance for the past 18 months and the government has not been accountable for their situation and conditions. Their extra-judicial and anti-human verdicts have also been issued while they have been deprived of the right to access a lawyer, visit and contact their families during this period and no one knows their place of detention and fate.

Given that these four prisoners have been completely deprived of a fair trial and the family-appointed lawyer has not even had the right to look at the case; As Mr. Masoud Shamsnejad, the lawyer of the family of these four political prisoners, has announced, the process of trial and final execution is not fair and just.

Considering the statements of the security agencies that even without considering the laws of the Islamic Republic and before the start of the trial process, they attributed the charge of cooperation with "Mossad" to these prisoners. Also, considering the broadcast of the forced confessions of these four political prisoners in October 2022 it is clear from the look at the repressive apparatus of the Islamic Republic that these confessions were under severe torture.

Given that according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Covenants, the right to freedom of expression and having political parties is one of the basic rights of the people of a country, and considering that the Islamic Republic has a black record of eliminating its opponents and security cases against different groups and groups of the Iranian people and is among the governments that violate human rights and resort to the repressive apparatus.

We, a group of human rights organizations, strongly condemn the issuance of the death sentence for these political prisoners; the unfair and inhuman trial process, the forced confessions, and the security scenarios against these prisoners are in contradiction with all the criteria of human rights and even the laws of the Islamic Republic itself and we believe that the trial stages of these four political activists should be carried out according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights with the close supervision of international assemblies and human rights organizations. Otherwise, any accusation and issuance of a verdict based on forced confession is illegal and a complete violation of human rights.

We ask all free people, civil and media activists, human rights, and international organizations to do their best to prevent the execution of these unjust verdicts.

January 8, 2024

Kurdpa Human Rights Organization

Hana Human Rights Organization

Ahwaz Human Rights Center

Zagros Human Rights Center

Iranian Kurdistan Human Rights Center "Chawnews"