Following the upheld of death sentence for the political prisoner Ramin Hosseini Panahi in Sanandij, several political prisoners of Rajaee Shahr (Gohardasht) prison in Karaj, penned an open letter titled “hanging is a murder by the government, in all circumstances” calling on international societies and conscientious people, to fight towards the eradication of this inhumane form of punishment.
According to the United Nations and annual report of Amnesty International, Iran under the mullahs rule has the highest number of executions per capita in the world.
The political prisoners’ letter reads in Part:
“Over the past decades and centuries, hanging has been the main type of execution in many societies; however, with the introduction of peace treaties and constitutional amendments over time, it has now been completely banned in more than 100 countries.
“Unfortunately, this is not the case in Iran; not only has it not diminished over the past century, but has become even more prevalent, and is increasingly used to execute political prisoners; many people who were found in affiliation with the Pahlavi’s regime or the current one, were the victims of this punishment. Ramin Hosseini Panahi, is the most recent example of a political prisoner who may be hanged any day now.
“We, as the political prisoners of Gohardasht (in Karaj), would like to publicly express our concerns in this regard; we consider hanging a murder by the government, in all circumstances. We strongly condemn this inhumane act and call for its eradication. We are hoping that international societies, human rights organisations, and conscientious people, will not give up their efforts and continue to fight.”
Signed by: Saieed Masvari, Zanyar Moradi, Saieed Shirzad, Arash Sadeghi, Payam Shakiba, Loqman Moradi, Majid Asadi
Gohardasht Prison
May 2018
