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 Parya'i

About

Age: 38
Nationality: Iran
Religion: Presumed Muslim
Civil Status: Married

Case

Date of Killing: July 3, 1980
Location of Killing: Kerman, Kerman Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Stoning
Charges: Homosexual act; Adultery

About this Case

The execution of Mr. Hassan Parya’i, an employee of the district’s electric company and father of six, was reported along with four others to Pars News Agency by the news center of the Revolutionary Guard headquarters of Kerman. The Jomhuri Eslami daily published the report (July 5, 1980). 

Arrest and detention

The circumstances of this defendant’s arrest and detention are not known.

Trial

No information is available on Mr. Parya’i’s trial.

Charges

Based on the report, Mr. Parya’i was charged with “having a long history in extramarital sexual relationships and sodomy.”

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 the Islamic Republic’s authorities have brought trumped up charges against their political opponents and executed them for 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

The report did not provide any information regarding the evidence presented against the defendant.

Defense

No information is available on the defendant’s defense.

Judgment

Based on the report, the Islamic Revolutionary Tribunal of Kerman sentenced Mr. Hassan Parya’i and three other defendants to death by stoning. They were stoned to death at 5:30 in the morning.

Article 104 of the Islamic Republic’s Penal Code states that ''...the stones should not be too large so that the person dies on being hit by one or two of them...'' According to Amnesty International, this punishment "is designed to cause grievous pain leading to eventual death."

According to Reuters news agency, quoting one of the members of Kerman’s Tribunal speaking on condition of anonymity, the victims were given ablution before the ceremony and were given white tunics to wear. Their heads were covered with a hood. They were then buried up to their chests. Stones of various dimensions were made available. The President of the Tribunal personally threw the first stone, followed by five other people. The stoning lasted fifteen minutes.

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