Abdorrahman Boroumand Center

for Human Rights in Iran

https://www.iranrights.org
Omid, a memorial in defense of human rights in Iran
One Person’s Story

Sa'dollah Rahimi

About

Age: 19
Nationality: Iran
Religion: Presumed Muslim
Civil Status: Unknown

Case

Date of Killing: March 8, 2004
Location of Killing: Baneh, Kordestan Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Hanging
Charges: Murder; Sexual Offense

About this Case

News of the execution of Mr. Sa'dolla Rahimi, along with another person, was published in the Jomhuri Eslami Newspaper on March 10 and in the Hamshahri newspaper on March 11, 2004. Additional information about this case is taken from the Sharq and Hamshahri newspapers on March 3, 2004.

Mr. Rahimi, 19, was from Baneh in Kurdistan. According to the existing information, his case was related to the kidnapping that resulted in the murder of an eight-year-old child in Baneh on February 16, 2004. (Sharq and Hamshahri newspapers on March 3, 2004) According to the Sharq newspaper, students in Baneh along with other citizens demonstrated and signed a petition calling for immediate trial of the defendants including Mr. Rahimi. (March 3, 2004)

Arrest and detention

Mr. Rahimi was arrested in March of 2004 after the body of a kidnapped boy was recovered besides the bridge on the Sovil Village River. (Sharq newspaper on March 3, 2004) There is no specific information on his arrest and detention.

Trial

Branch One of the Public Court of Baneh tried Mr. Rahimi and two other defendants of this case in March of 2004. This trial took place out of turn because of what the judge called “hurting public emotions, fear of intimidation in town, and protecting and defending public security in society.” (Sharq newspaper on March 3, 2004) No detailed information is available on this trial. 

Charges

The charge against Mr. Rahimi was announced as "kidnapping resulting in murder". Mr. Rahimi along with two other defendants of this case had kidnapped and killed an 8-year-old boy named Sina Mahmudi, to extort 70 million Iraqi Dinars from his parents. (Hamshahri newspaper on March 11, 2004)

The validity of the criminal charges brought against this defendant cannot be ascertained in the absence of the basic guarantees of a fair trial.

Evidence of guilt

The evidence provided against the defendants included the recovery of the victim’s body three days after his disappearance and the coroner’s report about harassment, tying hands, and suffocation of the victim. (Hamshahri newspaper on March 3, 2004) According to the Sharq newspaper, Mr. Rahimi accepted the charge of kidnapping resulting in the murder. (March 3, 2004)

Defense

No information is available on Mr. Rahimi’s defense and it is not clear if he had an attorney. According to the published reports, this case was prosecuted out of turn and the time between the arrest of the defendants and their convictions and carrying out the ruling had been very short.

According to the Sharq newspaper, Mr. Rahimi told the court that they had kidnapped the boy to extort from his father and they did not intend to kill him. However, they killed him because the victim had identified his detaining location.

Judgment

Branch One of the Public Court of Baneh condemned Mr. Sa'dolla Rahimi to death, three counts, in March of 2004. The court also condemned the second row defendant to death and 15 years imprisonment and the third row defendant to 15 years imprisonment. The Supreme Court investigated the case out of turn and confirmed the ruling. Mr. Rahimi was hanged, along with another defendant of this case, in the Baneh Prison on Monday March 8, 2004 in the morning. (Hamshahri newspaper on March 11, 2004)

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