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

Sharif Alizehi

About

Nationality: Afghanistan
Religion: Presumed Muslim
Civil Status: Unknown

Case

Date of Killing: February 13, 2001
Location of Killing: Birjand, Khorasan\Khorasan-e Razavi Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Unspecified execution method
Charges: Rape

About this Case

News of the execution of Mr. Sharif Alizehi, an Afghan citizen, was published in the Ettela’at newspapers on February 18, 2001.

Arrest and detention

According to the report, Mr. Alizehi was identified and arrested in Tehran on October 17, 2000. He was transferred to Birjand. The circumstances of his arrest and detention are not known.

Trial

No information is available on Mr. Alizehi’s trial.

Chares

The charge brought against Mr. Alizehi was announced as “rape.” According to the newspaper report, on April 14, 2000, three armed Afghan individuals entered the house of a resident in the Seyedabad Village near Birjand at night. They tied the hands and feet of the head of household and took him outside. They beat up his wife and children, then raped his 16-year-old daughter.

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 authorities have brought trumped-up charges, including drug trafficking, sexual, and other criminal offences, against their opponents (including political, civil society activists, as well as unionists and ethnic and religious minorities). 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 and executed based on trumped-up charges is unknown.

Evidence of guilt

The evidence presented against Mr. Alizehi was his “confession.” According to the report, he confessed to this charge in addition to armed smuggling of 75 kilograms of opium into the country in collaboration with four others.

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. Alizehi’s defense.

Judgment

The court condemned Mr. Sharif Alizehi to death. He was executed in Birjand on February 13, 2001.

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