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| Zahra Bahrami |
Iran Human Rights, January 28: Only one day after "the European Union called upon the Iranian authorities to halt all pending executions immediately", Iranian authorites executed an Iranian-EU citizen.
The Iranian-Dutch citizen Zahra Bahrami, who was arrested in the wake of the Ashura (December 27, 2009) protests was hanged in Tehran’s Evin prison early this morning.
Zahra Bahrami was charged with Moharebeh (war against the God) by branch 15 of Tehran Revolutionary Court on August 16, 2010. Her charges included: “acting against national security, propaganda against the establishment, Moharebeh, and membership in the Monarchist Association”.
Mrs. Bahrami was also charged with drug trafficking, a charge that many believe was fabricated against her. Her family have stated these charges are false and that Mrs. Bahrami have accepted the drug charges under pressure.
In the beginning of January 2011 Mrs. Bahrami was sentenced to death for the drug charges by the revolutionary court. It was believed that her trial regarding her participation in the Ashura proetsts would be held within the coming months.
But she was hanged early this morning convicted of "drug trafficking".
The state run Iranian news agency Fars reproted that "A drug dealer by the name "Zahra Bahrami" daughter of Ali was hanged in Tehran’s Evin prison this morning". According to Fars: "Zahra Bahrami was involved in smugling of cocaine from the Netherlands to Iran". The report also stated that "Mrs. Bahrami has previously been arrested for "security related charges and 420 grams of cocaine and 420 grams of opium was discovered when her appartment was searched.
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of Iran Human Rights, strongly condemned Mrs. Bahrami’s execution and said: " We believe Mrs. Bahrami’ trial has been unfair, she has been subjected to ill-treatment in the prison and today she became victim of the Iranian regime’s terror machinery". He added: "We hope the Dutch government and the EU will take this case seriously and conduct an investigation to find the truth about what happened about Mrs. Bahrami".
According to the official reports more than 111 prisoners, among them 5 political prisoners, have been executed in Iran.
Source: Iran Human Rights, January 29, 2011
Daughter of Ashura Death Row Prisoner: Mom’s False Confessions Based on Promise of Release
Interview conducted by Masih Alinejad
Zahra Bahrami is an Iranian-Dutch citizen who, according to her family, was violently arrested on Shademan Street in Tehran two days after the Ashura protests. She was later sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court on the charge of ‘possession of narcotics’, and all her belongings were confiscated.
According to some families of prisoners of conscience, in the course of the 2009 Ashura protests and prior, many prisoners received politically-motivated death sentences on non-political charges. The sentences for some defendants have been overturned, while the sentences for others [remain in the] Clemency and Pardon commission, and the rest are in the appeals stage. Meanwhile, many families of [political] prisoners request from the public and human rights organizations to help halt the execution of death sentences.
Elaheh Latifi, the sister of Habib Latifi, the Kurdish activist whose death sentence was temporarily postponed, told Jaras, “We request from human rights organizations and anybody who can do something to help [us], but I still think that we should help my brother from inside Iran [rather than relying solely on outside help].”
Roudabeh Akbari, Jafar Kazemi’s wife, who was sentenced to death on the charge of “Moharebeh [Enmity with God] through collaboration with and ties to the People’s Mujahedin of Iran Organization (PMOI), told Jaras, “We [request] the help of all our compatriots so my husband will not be executed…By executing my husband, his children and I will be executed too…. It is not fair to execute my husband who was busy with his life and had no political activities only for the political tendencies of my son.”
Fatehmeh Eftekhari, Saeed Malekpour’s wife, whose husband has also been sentenced to death on security offense charges, told Jaras, “The fact that the interrogators, in [their attempt to] extract confessions from a defendant on the charge ‘immorality and indecency in cyber space’, stripped him and threatened him with [rape] is appalling. What religious or legal justification exists for employing such methods? Our people are very enlightened.”
Banafsheh Nayebpour told Jaras, “They have levelled drug charges against my mother, an artist who does not even smoke [cigarettes].”
An Interview with Banafsheh Nayebpour:
Jaras- Ms. Nayebpour, the news of your mother’s death sentence has received extended media coverage. Can you please tell us why, since December 2009 when your mother was arrested, you did not talk to the media about the case until now?
Banafsheh Nayebpour (BN)- Initially, after my mother’s arrest, there was no information available on her whereabouts. I even thought that my mother had left Iran. I was really worried. I wanted to know where my mother was and why she was not contacting us. Three months after [her disappearance], my mother contacted us from prison.
Jaras- After you found out that your mother was arrested, did you still opt for silence? I would like to know whether there was a specific reason behind the family’s silence?
BN- Yes, I was threatened into silence. After we found out, I tried to contact the Dutch government through the Netherlands’s embassy [in Tehran], the Dutch media, and my mother’s lawyer in the Netherlands. However, [agents from Iran's] Ministry of Intelligence threatened me a few times and made me [promise] to not give any interviews to the Dutch media and to not have any contacts with the Dutch embassy and government under any circumstances. I wrote and signed a written promise to not talk about it. The [agents] told me I could be arrested if I gave interviews. A week after the last time I was threatened, I received a phone call from the Prosecutor’s office. Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi [the Tehran Prosecutor] along with his secretary took me to Evin prison. He said to me in front of my mother, “If you do not give any interviews, I promise to do my best to secure the release of your mother.” I, in turn, promised to not give any interviews. But, not only was my mother not released, but she received the death sentence as well.
Jaras- Did you bring this matter up with the Prosecutor at a later date?
BN- Actually, then, Mr. Dolatabadi told me that if I needed any help regarding the case, I could come to the Prosecutor’s office and ask to see him and enter directly. However, after the meeting when he asked to see me, every time I went, he did not see me and nobody answered my inquiries either. Then, they issued a death sentence for my mother. It was after the [issuing of the sentence] that I decided to give interviews, because they did not keep their promise. The Prosecutor had even promised my mother that if she confessed, she would be released. My mother replied, “Alright, just to save myself from these conditions, I will say whatever you want and I will confess.” Now, my mom really regrets [her decision to confess].
Jaras- Did your mother also give televised self-incriminating confessions?
BN- It was the beginning of her detention, around nine months ago, when Channel 6 [of Iran state TV] aired a program that showed my mother making self-incriminating confessions. I was extremely upset. I even told Mr. Dolatabadi that [the false charges] attributed to my mother are shameful. My mother is an artist and she studied music in the Netherlands for a few years. My mother’s confessions completely demonstrated that she was under duress and torture. She was told that if she gave [a televised] interview, she would be released. Even Mr. Dolatabadi told me, “Yes, I did tell your mother that she would be released if she gave a televised interview, however, later on, certain circumstances arose that prevented us from releasing her.”
Jaras- You mean you had a meeting with Mr. Dolatabadi and he mentioned this point himself?
BN- Yes, I talked to the Prosecutor and he questioned why I do not trust him. I responded, “Mr. Dolatabadi, why should I trust you? You promised my mother that you would release her if she made self-incriminating televised confessions; however, months have passed [since my mom's interview] and you have not released her.” He replied, “She was supposed to be released, but then some problems arose that prevented us from releasing her.”
Jaras- What is your assessment of the fact that the drug charges in your mother’s case were processed, but there has been no mention of the other charges?
BN- It is interesting that my mother was just transferred to the general ward of Evin prison a few months ago. Initially, she was held in ward 209 [controlled by the Ministry of Intelligence]. This demonstrates that my mother’s case is completely political. If the drug charge is much more serious than the other charges, then why was she held in ward 209 in the first months of her detention?
My mother’s case is completely political. My mother was basically arrested on a political charge. They levelled so many accusations of a political nature against her like “acting against national security”, “propaganda against the regime”, “ties to [the proscribed opposition group] the Monarchist Association”, and “Moharebeh [Enmity with God]“. They brought up the fabricated drug charge to distract and deviate the public [to think that her] case is not political.
Jaras- How was your mother arrested?
BN- My mother took part in the Ashura demonstrations [on December 27, 2009], but she had no ties to any association or group. My mother was arrested two days later on the street. She was with her friends [in a car] when a Ministry of Intelligence vehicle ordered them to stop [driving]. My mother explained that they pulled her hair, dragged her out of the car, and arrested her. All the people who were with her were released within the first month. Then, they accused my mother of forming an opposition group. Another accusation they levelled against my mother was ‘membership in the Monarchist Association’. However, the Monarchist Association has issued a statement that Ms. Zahra Bahrami had no ties with the association. Honestly, my mother had no ties to them. [Regime authorities] accused my mother of serious political offences like ‘forming an opposition group’ and ‘Moharebeh’; the latter [could] carry a death sentence. Despite this, suddenly the drug charges surfaced as the reason behind the death penalty. [This was done to] keep everyone’s hands off the case.
Jaras- What actions did your mother’s lawyer take for her defense?
BN- Ms. [Nasrin] Sotoudeh was a very good lawyer for my mother, but she was unfortunately arrested. She defended my mother bravely and was the only person who gave an interview to a Dutch newspaper and said that the charges related to ‘possession of narcotics’ are trumped-up and fabricated. I think because she spread the news and defended her clients it landed her in trouble (I.e. imprisonment].
Jaras- Are you pursuing the case through another lawyer at the moment?
BN- Yes, however, I was hoping to hire an experienced lawyer so that (s)he could offer an effective defense for my mother and save her life. I talked to one of the good lawyers, but we were unable to afford the fees he wanted to charge. I am alone here and I do not have the financial means to pay for the legal expenses.
Jaras- Did you seek assistance to raise this amount?
BN- First, I went to visit the Prosecutor, because [regime agents] confiscated all my mother’s property including her car and home. I told the Prosecutor’s Office to at least provide us with a certain amount of money from the confiscated properties so that we could hire a good lawyer capable of defending my mother. [Upon their rejection to our request], we contacted the Dutch government.
Jaras- Did the government of the Netherlands offer you any assistance in this matter?
BN- Initially, the Dutch government did not accept to help us because they probably did not think that my mother would be issued a death sentence. When the death sentence was issued, they decided to help, but they have not provided any assistance yet. Our situation is very complex. I am alone here. I do not even know if my voice is being heard by anybody who is in a position do something to save my mother.
Jaras- May I ask about the other family members?
BN- My 22 year old brother cannot do anything. I am married. My father and husband could probably help me emotionally, but all our hope was relying on my mother’s properties that were confiscated. So, we are not even able to hire a good lawyer to save her life.
Jaras- Do you have anything else to tell people and the authorities?
BN- To be honest, when I think about it, people took part in the protests for Mousavi and Karroubi, but did Mousavi and Karroubi offer any assistance to the people? My mother had no affiliation with any political party or group. I hope [regime authorities] do not keep the people’s hands off the case because of the fabricated drug charge. Our entire family is shocked [by the drug charges], and they cannot believe how a person who did not even smoke can be sentenced to death for the possession of narcotics.
Most importantly, last week, the Ambassador of Holland said that Iran’s Ambassador in the Netherlands told him that the charge against my mother is ‘possession of one kilogram of cocaine’. However, in my mother’s case file it says ‘about half a kilogram of narcotics’. By giving such contradictory accounts, [the regime] is demonstrating that my mother’s case is political. They are trying to ensure that we are left alone so no one would be able to help us. I wish human rights organizations and the people hear our voice.
Persian Report by Rahe Sabz (Jaras)
Translation by Siavosh Jalili, Persian2English.com
Source: Persian2English, January 18, 2011
Dutch freeze contacts with Iran after execution
The Dutch government said it was freezing contacts with Iran after the hanging of an Iranian-Dutch woman. The woman was executed for drug smuggling after initially being arrested for taking part in protests in 2009.
The Netherlands says it is cutting off contacts with Iran in the wake of the hanging of an Iranian-Dutch woman in the Islamic republic which the Hague decried as an "act committed by a barbarous regime."
The freeze concerns all official contacts between diplomats and civil servants, said foreign ministry spokesman Bengt van Loosdrecht.
Iran hanged the woman for selling and possessing drugs, ignoring pleas by the Netherlands which had sought details about the case.
Bahrami was born in Iran but later acquired Dutch citizenship "A woman smuggler named Zahra Bahrami, daughter of Ali, has been hanged today for the possession and selling of narcotics," the Iranian news agency Mehr reported on Saturday, quoting the court.
The New York-based rights group International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran quoted the 46-year-old woman's daughter as saying the drug charges were fabricated.
The group said the Iranian-born naturalized Dutch citizen was arrested for taking part in protests against the government in December 2009 while visiting relatives in the Islamic republic.
Drug smuggling charges
The Iranian prosecutor's office confirmed on Saturday that Zahra Bahrami had been arrested for "security crimes."
Elaborating on her alleged drug smuggling, the office said Bahrami had used her Dutch connections to smuggle narcotics into Iran.
"The convict, a member of an international drug gang, smuggled cocaine to Iran using her Dutch connections and had twice shipped and distributed cocaine inside the country," it said.
During a search of her house, authorities found 450 grams of cocaine and 420 grams of opium, the prosecutor's office said, adding that investigations revealed she had sold 150 grams of cocaine in Iran.
"The revolutionary court sentenced her to death for possessing 450 grams of cocaine and participating in the selling of 150 grams of cocaine," it said.
Netherlands was refused access
Bahrami was also accused of belonging to the People's Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI), classified as a terrorist organization responsible for killing several Iranian officials in the last 30 years.
2 members of the group were hanged earlier this week in Tehran for their involvement in protests in 2009.
On Saturday, the Dutch government summoned Iran's ambassador to brief the government about the hanging.
The Netherlands had been seeking details about Bahrami's case and had accused the Iranian authorities of refusing the Dutch embassy access to the prisoner because Iran did not recognize her dual nationality.
Wave of executions
Bahrami's execution takes the total number of people hanged in Iran so far this year to 66, according to media reports.
The spate of executions has drawn criticism from Catherine Ashton, Europe's chief diplomat in talks between world powers and Iran over Tehran's controversial nuclear program.
"The European Union is deeply concerned about the use of the death penalty in Iran. Executions are taking place at an alarming rate," she said on Thursday.
Ashton's statement came after Iranian state media on Thursday reported the hanging of ten drug traffickers.
"In addition, abhorrent practices such as public executions and suspension hanging continue to be used, in contravention of Iran's international obligations," added Ashton, restating the EU policy of global opposition to capital punishment.
Source: Deutsche Welle, January 30, 2011
Distraught, Bahrami's Daughter Demands: "How is it possible that she was executed?!"
A shocked and emotional Banafsheh Nayebpour, daughter of Iranian-Dutch citizen, Zahra Bahrami, who, according to a Fars News Agency report, was executed in the early morning hours of Saturday, 29 January 2010, talked to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran today. She said people have been calling her for the past hour to verify the news of her mother's death. "How is such a thing possible? We had requested clemency, and we have not yet received a reply. They have not reviewed my mother’s other case, either. How is it possible that she was executed?" she said in disbelief.
Zahra Bahrami's daughter was informed of her mother's execution through phone calls from her friends and relatives on Saturday at around 4:00 p.m. "I called her lawyer. She had not been informed, either. I don't know where to go now, of whom to seek information. Nobody is answering me now, because it’s past business hours. This means that my mother died this morning, when I was sleeping," she said.
"Shouldn't they have informed her family and lawyer before executing her? We should have gone to see her before her execution. Is it so easy–that my mother is no longer in this world? Did I not have any right to see her before her execution?" said a distraught Banafesheh Nayebpour.
Iranian-Dutch citizen, Zahra Bahrami, who was arrested a few days after the 2009 Ashura Day (27 December 2009) protests on charges of participating in street gatherings, was accused of drug trafficking sometime later and sentenced to death. During her court trial, Ms. Bahrami said that the confessions she had made in prison had been extracted under duress and by force. She retracted her confessions in court. An informed source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that during Zahra Bahrami's detention, her interrogation team was the Iranian Intelligence Ministry's Anti-Espionage Team. According to the said source, during her first few weeks of detention in prison, Zahra Bahrami endured severe physical and psychological torture. She told her daughter several times that she had been made to give fake confessions under torture.
During an interview earlier this month, Zahra Bahrami's daughter told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran: "My mother is a citizen of the Netherlands. They probably leveled this accusation against her in order to cut the Dutch government's reach [into the case]. They have previously waged such unfounded charges against others, too. But my mother is a lonely woman without anyone, so they think they can do this to her. They know she has no one to help her."
Source: Iran Human Rights, January 30, 2011
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