Iran: Kurdish man executed while awaiting appeal of his death sentence
| Publisher | Amnesty International |
| Publication Date | 26 August 2015 |
| Cite as | Amnesty International, Iran: Kurdish man executed while awaiting appeal of his death sentence, 26 August 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/55df070f4.html [accessed 31 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Behrouz Alkhani, a 30-year-old man from Iran's Kurdish minority, was executed early this morning local time, said Amnesty International, despite the fact that he was awaiting the outcome of a Supreme Court appeal.
The organization has also learned that the authorities have so far refused to return Behrouz Alkhani's body to his family.
"Today's execution of Behrouz Alkhani, who was still waiting for the outcome of a Supreme Court appeal against his sentence, is a vicious act of cruelty by the Iranian authorities and a denigration of both Iranian and international law. It is appalling that they have imposed further pain and suffering on Behrouz Alkhani's family by refusing to return his body for burial," said Said Boumedouha, Deputy Director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme.
"The fact that the authorities have carried out the execution despite the pending appeal against a sentence imposed in a grossly unfair trial and international pleas to halt the execution, shows their utter disregard for justice. His execution is just further proof of the authorities' determined resolve to continue with a relentless wave of executions which has seen more than 700 put to death in Iran so far this year."
