By Kaveesha Fernando
TEHERAN, Iran (CWBN)_ Following the questionable execution of Iranian journalist Rouhollah Zam earlier this month on vague charges of “corruption on Earth”, the European Union called on Iran to halt its executions until policy changes were made. “The EU believes that the death penalty is a cruel and inhumane punishment, which fails to act as a deterrent to crime and represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity. The European Union calls on Iran to refrain from any future executions and to pursue a consistent policy towards the abolition of the death penalty,” the European Union said in a statement. It’s clear that the request has fallen on deaf ears as several other executions have been carried out since Zam’s, and the next execution might even be the worst to be carried out this month. Mohammad Hassan Rezaiee is to be executed soon, according to Amnesty International. Rezaiee was just 16 when he was arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of a man in a group fight.
The human rights violations pile on following Rezaiee‘s arrest. Amnesty International states that authorities held him in prolonged solitary confinement without access to his family or a lawyer. He was repeatedly tortured in attempts to compel him to “confess”, following which he was sentenced on the basis of a confession which Rezaiee confirmed at trial to have been obtained under duress. The duress included beatings with sticks, being kicked and punched repeatedly and being whipped with pipe hoses.
Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, Diana Eltahawy stated that the planned execution is a gross violation of human rights. “Imposing the death penalty on someone who was a child at the time of the crime is a serious violation of international human rights law, which absolutely prohibits the use of the death penalty for crimes committed by children. The injustice is further compounded by the Iranian authorities’ determination to proceed with the execution despite his grossly unfair trial and the absence of any investigation into Mohammad Hassan Rezaiee’s allegations of torture and other ill-treatment. We call on the Iranian authorities to immediately halt Mohammad Hassan Rezaiee’s execution, quash his conviction and sentence, and grant him a fair retrial conducted in full compliance with the rules of juvenile justice and without resorting to the death penalty,” she said.
The world was outraged when they learned of the execution of Iranian journalist Rouhollah Zam earlier this month. Zam’s online news site ‘Amad News’ opposed the regime and is most likely the reason for his execution. It’s unclear as to how Zam was detained – he was living in exile in France at the time of his arrest. A video of him “confessing” and apologising for his “crimes” was later released. Iran remains one of the world’s deadliest places for journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders.
