Saman Naseem Contacts Family 144 Days after His Scheduled Execution
07:35 - 17 July 2015
Kurdpa: After 144 days since his disappearance, Saman Nassem, a Kurdish political prisoner on death row, was permitted to contact his family on July 11 from Zanjan city’s Sari Prison.
Kurdpa has learned that Saman Nassem contacted his family on July 11, and broke the news that he is still alive and is kept at Zanjan city’s Sari prison.
“An Iranian juvenile offender whose fate and whereabouts had been unknown since he was due to be executed in February was able to call his relatives from prison over the weekend, ending five months of unbearable suffering by his loved ones, who did not know what had happened to him”, said Amnesty International in a statement.
The Supreme Court has also granted Naseem’s application for judicial review, which means that his conviction and death sentence are quashed and that he is entitled to a full retrial; however, his lawyer stated that it is still not clear whether death sentence will be handed down to Naseem in his retrial.
There are rumours that Naseem might be eventually transferred back to Wurme Central Prison, following the Ramadan feast.
Naseem, 21, was sentenced to death in April 2013 after a deeply flawed trial that relied on self-incriminating evidence extracted under torture. The day before he was due to be executed, he was transferred to an unknown location which has now been confirmed to be Zanjan Prison, north-west of Tehran. Neither his family nor lawyers were given any concrete information about his whereabouts until now.
He was charged with “enmity against God” and “corruption on earth” because of his alleged membership in the Kurdish armed opposition group, Party for Free Life of Kurdistan, by a criminal court in Mahabad. It was alleged that he took part in armed activities against Revolutionary Guards when he was 17 years old.
On February 18, 2014, Nassem, along with five other political prisoners, Ali Afshari, Habib Afshari, Sirwan Nejawi, Ebrahim Isapour and Younes Aghaei were all transferred to an unknown location from Wurme Prison, surrounding heavy security measures.
So far, the security and judicial officials have said little about the whereabouts and the conditions of these six political prisoners.
Kurdpa refrained from publishing stories about scheduled hangings as the reports about the implementation of the death sentences could not be confirmed.
Writing by Kurdpa Staff Writers and editing by Sharmin Hassaniani.
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Kurdpa has learned that Saman Nassem contacted his family on July 11, and broke the news that he is still alive and is kept at Zanjan city’s Sari prison.
“An Iranian juvenile offender whose fate and whereabouts had been unknown since he was due to be executed in February was able to call his relatives from prison over the weekend, ending five months of unbearable suffering by his loved ones, who did not know what had happened to him”, said Amnesty International in a statement.
The Supreme Court has also granted Naseem’s application for judicial review, which means that his conviction and death sentence are quashed and that he is entitled to a full retrial; however, his lawyer stated that it is still not clear whether death sentence will be handed down to Naseem in his retrial.
There are rumours that Naseem might be eventually transferred back to Wurme Central Prison, following the Ramadan feast.
Naseem, 21, was sentenced to death in April 2013 after a deeply flawed trial that relied on self-incriminating evidence extracted under torture. The day before he was due to be executed, he was transferred to an unknown location which has now been confirmed to be Zanjan Prison, north-west of Tehran. Neither his family nor lawyers were given any concrete information about his whereabouts until now.
He was charged with “enmity against God” and “corruption on earth” because of his alleged membership in the Kurdish armed opposition group, Party for Free Life of Kurdistan, by a criminal court in Mahabad. It was alleged that he took part in armed activities against Revolutionary Guards when he was 17 years old.
On February 18, 2014, Nassem, along with five other political prisoners, Ali Afshari, Habib Afshari, Sirwan Nejawi, Ebrahim Isapour and Younes Aghaei were all transferred to an unknown location from Wurme Prison, surrounding heavy security measures.
So far, the security and judicial officials have said little about the whereabouts and the conditions of these six political prisoners.
Kurdpa refrained from publishing stories about scheduled hangings as the reports about the implementation of the death sentences could not be confirmed.
Writing by Kurdpa Staff Writers and editing by Sharmin Hassaniani.
###
Stay in touch with Kurdpa with latest news and opinions on Iran and Kurdistan:
Follow @kurdpa
Email us your news tips, pictures, video, opinions and articles to english(a)kurdpa.com
Share this article:
