Urgent Action: Iran – Grave Risk of Tortured Man Facing Execution

Kurdish man Reza Rasaei is at risk of execution in Iran in connection to the “Woman Life Freedom” uprising of 2022. His death sentence was issued following a grossly unfair trial that relied on forced “confessions” obtained under torture. Demand his release!

Reza was arrested and sentenced to death in November 2022 in connection with the death of the commander of the Intelligence Organisation of the Revolutionary Guards in Sahneh during a protest. Reza has repeatedly denied any involvement. The Supreme Court disregarded key evidence in his defence including witness testimonies, his lawyer’s submissions on the flawed investigations and the omission of forensic evidence.

Reza was forcibly disappeared for the first four months of his detention where authorities. subjected him to torture, including electric shocks, suffocation, suspension, severe beatings and sexual violence to compel his forced “confessions”. Since his arrest, he has been denied access to adequate healthcare, including for his torture-related injuries.

Authorities have flagrantly violated Reza’s fair trial rights, and have unlawfully relied on forced “confessions” to convict him. The authorities must halt Reza’s execution, quash his conviction and release him from detention immediately.

Take Urgent Action now for Reza!

Take action now

First name*
First
Last name*
Last
Email*
Phone number
Post Body
Dear Mr Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, Reza (Gholamreza) Rasaei, aged 34, from Iran’s oppressed Kurdish and Yaresan ethnic and religious minorities, respectively, is at imminent risk of execution in Dizel Abad prison, Kermanshah province, in relation to the nationwide protests of September-December 2022. On 7 October 2023, Branch Two of Criminal Court One in Kermanshah province convicted Reza Rasaei and sentenced him to death in connection with the death of the commander of the Intelligence Organization of the Revolutionary Guards in Sahneh, Kermanshah province, during a protest on 18 November 2022. Branch 17 of the Supreme Court upheld the verdict on 16 December 2023. On 16 January 2024, Branch One of the Supreme Court rejected his lawyer’s request for judicial review. Both Branch 17 and Branch One of the Supreme Court disregarded exculpatory evidence including key witness testimonies and his lawyer’s submissions on the flawed investigations and the omission of forensic and other evidence. The submissions also highlighted that a key witness recanted his initial statements implicating Reza Rasaei in the commander’s death, subsequently stating that they were made under torture and other ill-treatment. Reza Rasaei has repeatedly denied any involvement and stated, including during trial, that his forced “confessions” were extracted through torture and other ill-treatment. Authorities have flagrantly violated Reza Rasaei’s fair trial rights, including to access a lawyer from the time of arrest, to meaningfully challenge the legality of his detention, to not self-incriminate, and to be tried by an independent, competent and impartial tribunal and to a meaningful review by a higher tribunal. Courts have also unlawfully relied on forced “confessions” extracted from Reza Rasaei and others under torture and other ill-treatment to convict him. Reza Rasaei was arrested in November 2022. According to an informed source, he was subjected to enforced disappearance, a crime under international law, for the first four months of his detention. During this time, agents from the Intelligence Organization of the Revolutionary Guards interrogated him and subjected him to torture and other ill-treatment, including electric shocks, suffocation by placing a plastic bag over his head, prolonged suspension, severe beatings and sexual violence to compel his forced “confessions”. Since his arrest, authorities have been denying him access to adequate healthcare, including for his torture-related injuries, including broken fingers and toes, which may be permanently damaged as a result. No investigations are known to have been carried out into his torture allegations. I urge you to immediately halt any plans to carry out Reza (Gholamreza) Rasaei’s execution and quash his conviction and death sentence and release him unless he is charged with an internationally recognisable criminal offence and is given a fair retrial without recourse to the death penalty excluding torture-tainted “confessions”. Pending his release, grant him regular access to his family, chosen lawyer, and adequate medical care; protect him from further torture and other ill-treatment; and investigate his torture allegations, bringing anyone found responsible to justice in fair trials. Finally, I urge you to grant independent observers access to capital trials connected to protests and immediately establish an official moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty. Yours sincerely,
Opt in
We’d love to keep you updated about our work – including information about our campaigns, fundraising appeals and events – and the impact we have by working together. Please let us know how we may contact you. Please tick the box if you are happy to receive updates from us by email, phone and text message:
- Email
- Phone
- Text message
CAPTCHA
Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Urgent Action: Iran – Grave Risk of Tortured Man Facing Execution

Take action now

Who We Are

What We Do

Get Involved

Latest

Work With Us