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

Hassan

About

Nationality: Afghanistan
Religion: Unknown
Civil Status: Unknown

Case

Date of Killing: December 17, 2007
Location of Killing: Central Prison (Dastgerd), Esfahan, Esfahan Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Hanging
Charges: Murder

About this Case

News of the execution of Mr. Hassan, an Afghan citizen, along with his brother, was published on the websites of the Fars news agency, the E’temad Meli newspaper, and the Ebrat newspaper on December 17, 2007.      

Arrest and Detention

According to the E’temad Meli newspaper, “while the police investigation reached a dead-end after a few days, the inspector on the case suspected the building custodian, Hassan, based on the crime scene evidence and ordered his interrogation.”  

Trial

This trial took place in Branch Two of the Punitive Court of Esfahan. No further information is available about the defendant’s trial.    

Charges

The charge against Mr. Hassan was announced as "murder." According to the Public Relations Office of the Esfahan Court House, “the defendant, in collaboration with his brother, entered a residential complex for robbery. They first murdered the woman occupant with a knife and then strangled the small child with a wire in order to avoid being identified. Finally, they stole some money and gold and fled the scene.”      

The validity of the criminal charges brought against this defendant cannot be ascertained in the absence of the basic guarantees of a fair trial.  International human rights organizations have drawn attention to reports indicating that Islamic Republic authorities have brought trumped-up charges against their political opponents and executed them for alleged drug trafficking, sexual, and other criminal offences. Each year Iranian authorities sentence to death hundreds of alleged common criminals, following judicial processes that fail to meet international standards. The exact number of people convicted based on trumped-up charges is unknown.

Evidence of Guilt

According to the E’temad Meli newspaper, “the defendant named some witnesses including his brother, Mohammad, as his alibi. This statement caused the arrest of his brother. After local investigation and questioning the residents, the police realized that the two brothers were seen around the complex on the day of the crime.” According to the police technical interrogation reports, the brothers “confessed” their crime.  

International human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for its systematic use of torture to obtain confessions from detainees and have questioned the authenticity of confessions obtained under duress.

Defense

During interrogations, Mr. Hassan denied his involvement in this crime and stated that he had been out of town along with some of his friends.    

Judgment

The Punitive Court and Branch 17 of the Esfahan Appeal Court condemned Mr. Hassan to death on December 15, 2005. This ruling was confirmed by Branch 37 of the Supreme Court on July 19, 2006. He was hanged in the presence of the victims' family and relatives at the Esfahan Central prison on December 17, 2007.       

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