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

Iman Farokhi

About

Age: 20
Nationality: Iran
Religion: Presumed Muslim
Civil Status: Single

Case

Date of Killing: January 19, 2005
Location of Killing: Evin Prison, Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Hanging
Charges: Murder
Age at time of alleged offense: 16

About this Case

News of the execution of Mr. Iman Farokhi, along with two others, was published in the Iran newspaper on January 20, 2005. Additional information was taken from the Hamshahri newspaper on January 20, 2005, the Iran newspaper on December 26, 2004, and the Entekhab newspaper on November 23, 2000. Additionally, Amnesty International referred to this execution in a report, “Iran: The last executioner of children,” published on January 1, 2011. Mr. Farokhi’s case was related to the murder of a 25-year-old noncommissioned officer on the Plangchal path in Darakeh, Tehran, on November 17, 2000. He was from Jiroft and was only 16 years old at the time of the incident.

International laws have strictly prohibited capital punishment against those who were under the age of 18 at the time of committing the crime. As a party to the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Iran has the obligation to avoid capital punishment for an offence committed before the age of eighteen.

Arrest and detention

Mr. Farokhi was arrested, along with another person, on November 21, 2000. On the day of the incident, emergency personnel at the Shohada Hospital informed the Evin police station that two young men, injured by blows of a knife, had been transferred to the hospital and one of them died due to his injuries. After officers interrogated the other injured person, they were able to identify and arrest the perpetrators in a coffee shop at Laleh Park, which they frequented, only 72 hours later.

Mr. Farokhi did not accept the charge and because he was not legally an adult, a temporary arrest warrant was issued and he was transferred to the Correction and Rehabilitation Center for further investigation (Entekhab newspaper). He escaped the center in February of 2001 (Amnesty International). However, after two years, he was identified among the prisoners in Jiroft Prison and transferred back to Tehran. He had been arrested for carrying an illegal weapon and robbery in Jiroft after his escape from Tehran. He was condemned to 3 years imprisonment for these charges.     

Trial

The Children Court in Tehran tried Mr. Farokhi (Iran newspaper on December 26, 2004). However, no information is available on his trial.

Charges

The charge brought against Mr. Farokhi was announced as “murder.” According to the media reports, on the day of the incident, the victim and his cousin went mountain climbing around Darakeh where they witnessed three young men harassing a girl. They intervened but faced an attack by young men who injured them with blows of a knife. The victim died in the hospital.  

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. Farokhi was the testimony of the victim’s cousin and of other witnesses, the forensics report, his own “confession,” and a complaint by the victim’s parents.

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

Mr. Farokhi was younger than 18 when the incident occurred. After his first arrest, he did not accept the charge and objected to the ruling. His case was referred to Branch Four of the Supreme Court but his objection was rejected there. No information is available on his defense.

Judgment

The Children’s Court in Tehran condemned Mr. Iman Farokhi to death and five years imprisonment for murder and to receive 80 lashes for drinking alcoholic beverages. Branch Four of the Supreme Court confirmed the ruling. He was hanged, along with two others, at the Evin Prison yard in Tehran on January 19, 2005.   

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