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

Mohsen Zolfaqar

About

Nationality: Iran
Religion: Presumed Muslim
Civil Status: Unknown

Case

Date of Killing: December 8, 2001
Location of Killing: Qom, Markazi Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Unspecified execution method
Charges: Rape; Robbery

About this Case

News of the execution of Mr. Mohsen Zolfaqar, son of Ali, along with another person, was published in the Jomhuri Eslami newspaper on December 9, 2001, quoting the Information Committee of the Qom Courthouse. 

Arrest and detention

The circumstances of Mr. Zolfaqar’s arrest and detention are not known.

Trial

Branch 35 of the Public Court of Qom tried Mr. Zolfaqar.  No information is available on his trial.

Charges

The charges brought against Mr. Zolfaqar were announced as “rape, and participation in robbery with harassment.”         

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 presented against Mr. Zolfaqar was his “confession” and the confession of his collaborator.

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

Defense

No information is available on Mr. Zolfaqar’s defense.

Judgment

The court condemned Mr. Mohsen Zolfaqar to death for rape; to 10 years imprisonment and 74 lashes for participation in robbery with harassment; and to 2 years imprisonment, 74 lashes, and exile from the Qom province for 50 years for threatening with a knife. The Supreme Court confirmed the ruling. He was executed in public at Yazdanshahr Square in Qom on December 8, 2001. According to the report, he was arrested, prosecuted, and executed in less than 20 days. 

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