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

Safar Shahnozehi

About

Nationality: Iran
Religion: Presumed Muslim
Civil Status: Unknown

Case

Date of Killing: December 9, 1997
Location of Killing: Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Hanging
Charges: Murder

About this Case

The execution of Mr. Safar Shahnozehi, along with four other individuals, was announced in the Kayhan newspaper on December 10, 1997.

Arrest and Detention

The exact circumstances of this defendant’s arrest and detention are not known. According to the Kayhan newspaper, the defendant was arrested by the security forces of the Crime Investigation Unit of Hormozgan Province a week after the incident, in July 1997.

Trial

No information is available on the defendant’s trial other than he was tried at Branch Nine of Bandar Abbas Public Court.

Charges

The charges against the defendant were announced as “murdering three members of a family and stealing their money and home appliances.” According to the newspaper report, on June 25, 1997, the defendant, along with four other individuals, entered the house of Mohammad Amini Baluchi, an engineer in Bandar Abbas refinery, at night, aware of the fact that he had received his several months’ salary. They murdered him, his wife, and his brother-in-law, stole 500 thousand Rials cash and some appliances, and escaped.

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

The report of this execution does not contain information regarding the evidence provided against the defendant.

Defense

No information is available on Mr. Safar Shahnozehi’s defense.

Judgment

The court condemned Mr. Safar Shahnozehi to death and, after the ruling was confirmed by the Supreme Court, he was hanged in public in the Islamabad quarter of Bandar Abbas, where the alleged crime took place, on December 9, 1997.

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