Iran Update: The Aftermath of the Executions

0345 GMT: Three days after their executions, the names of Farzad Kamangar, Ali Heydarian, Farhad Vakili, Shirin Alamhouli, and Mehdi Eslamian continue to resonate in discussion of Iran. As of last night, the families were still waiting for the release of the bodies, with claims that they were being pressured to sign an oath that there would be no protests accompanying the funerals. There was also a report that the sister and mother of Shirin Alamhouli were arrested and later released on bail.

Iran Labor Report carried a statement from the lawyer for Kamangar, Alamhouli, and Eslamian:

Khalil Bahramian, in an interview before knowing about the execution said: "Mr. Kamangar and his interrogator told me that there are changes in the case and under review by the prosecutor and execution is out of the question. I inquired more than ten times and they told me the case is under review. But the intelligence officer had told Farzad that execution had been revoked."

Notified of the execution after the fact, Bahramian said in an interview: "The rules call for notification of the lawyers on carrying out the death penalty. In the cases of two of my clients, Farzad Kamangar and Mehdi Eslamian, I was not notified at all."

Bahramian also spoke with a TV interviewer about the events.

The political fallout continues. Amnesty International issued a statement on Tuesday:

We condemn these executions which were carried out without any prior warning. Despite the serious accusations against them, the five were denied fair trials. Three of the defendants were tortured and two forced to 'confess' under duress. They were then executed in violation of Iranian law, which requires the authorities to notify prisoners' lawyers.in advance before carrying out executions.

Human Rights Watch summarises developments and comments:

These hangings of four Kurdish prisoners are the latest example of the government’s unfair use of the death penalty against ethnic minority dissidents. The judiciary routinely accuses Kurdish dissidents, including civil society activists, of belonging to armed separatist groups and sentences them to death in an effort to crush dissent.

Meanwhile, defenders of the Iranian Government outside the country, in the guise of an attack on the coverage of The New York Times, have tried to sustain Iranian state media's account that those executed were guilty of bombings and membership of terrorist organisations.

Comments

[Catherine]

According to the independent Kurdish news website Aweenah, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani had made a secret visit to Tehran early Sunday in a last-minute bid to stop the executions.The website said Talabani, a Kurd, had been scheduled to meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to ask him to intervene in the case and put the executions on hold.

But the executions went ahead, and Farzad Kamangar, Ali Haydarian, Farhad Vakili, Shirin Alam-Houli and Mehdi Eslamian were hanged after their convictions on various charges, including terrorism and waging war against God, according to Iranian state media.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2010/05/iran-.html" rel="nofollow">http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2...

[Catherine]

Education International's statement:
Farzad Kamangar: EI Outrage at Iranian Teacher’s Execution
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=1254&theme=rights&country=iran" rel="nofollow">http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=1254&t...

[Arshama]

Rawa News and Reza Hiwa report that Shirin's uncle and grandfather have been arrested meanwhile (the latter still unconfirmed): http://persian2english.com/?p=10486" rel="nofollow">http://persian2english.com/?p=10486

This regime has all reasons to fear the killed, their blood will come over them...

Shirin, Farzad and all other victims are our heroes now. We will not forget!

ma bishomarim