Excellencies,
Iran, September 12, 2020—Despite a global campaign against the inhuman death sentence issued against Navid Afkari, a wrestling champion and a worker from city of Shiraz (to double execution, his brother Vahid Afkari is facing 54 years behind bars and 74 lashes, Habib Afkari is sentenced to 27 years in prison and 74 lashes), and despite Navid Afkari statement that the confessions obtained from him were under torture, the Iranian regime refused to back down from executing this innocent man. The Iranian judiciary executed Navid Afkari, on charges of participating in peaceful protests in Iran with a false accusation.
Regarding letters and campaigns to save Navid Afkari, this execution was a complete insult from Iran to the international community.
Pierre Galand, président de l’OMCT-Europe condemns in the strongest terms the execution of Navid Afkari in Iran.
For the people of Iran, this is not new. During their 41-year rule, the Iranian authorities have massacred thousands in prisons because of their political views. In the summer of 1988, a death committee at the order of then-Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini executed 30,000 political prisoners in a few weeks. During the November 2019 nationwide uprising the regime massacred 1500 protesters in 5 days. Navid was arrested for taking part in popular protests in Shiraz in 2018 and was sentenced to death after being brutally tortured and forced to confess to crimes he had not committed.
The international community never investigated them; its officials were never brought to justice.
– Due to the letters from International Olympics federation FIFA, Confederation of Wrestler Olympics, Amnesty International, letter of executive director of the World Players Association, 17 Nobel laureates Winners, Five United Nations’ human rights experts, including Jon.Javaid Rehman, UN Special Reporter on the situation of human rights in Iran,
– Due to the case of Ali Younesi and Amir Hossein Moradi, two elite students at Iran’s renowned Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, who are under severe pressure by the Iranian regime authorities to “confess” to crimes they have not committed.
– Due to the psychological torture on families of executed political prisoners.
– Due to the Amnesty Report: “Trampling Humanity,” was published on September 2, is one the harrowing account of the regime’s crimes against protesters arrested during the November 2019 uprising.
According Reuters media agency, there were 1500 killed by the regime’s direct shootings and there are more than 7000 innocent protesters still under torture in prisons of different cities.
All political detainees in Iran are subjected to torture and execution, I demand to immediately and unconditionally release all of them. I urge the UN the need for an international fact-finding commission to visit Iran prisons and especially meet with the detained protesters.
It is time for the UN assembly to recognize 1988 massacre as Genocide, and I demand there be an investigation of what happened in the 1988 massacre.
Excellencies, I call on you to take the above concerns with the most serious consideration and to raise them, jointly and individually, at the current session of the UN Human Rights Council.
I thank you for your attention and I look forward to your reply.
Best regards,