[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

IRAN:


IMMINENT EXECUTION OF 24 YEAR OLD IRANIAN MAN

Ehsan Shah Ghasemi, a 24 year-old Iranian man, is at imminent risk of 
execution. Ehsan Shah Ghasemi was sentenced to death for the murder of Ali 
Khalili.
He stabbed Ali Khalili in the neck in July 2011, causing injuries that 
allegedly resulted in his death almost three years later in April 2014. Amnesty
International believes Ehsan Shah Ghasemi did not receive a fair trial as there 
is no known conclusive evidence of a substantial causal link between the
knife assault on Ali Khalili in 2011 and his death in 2014.

Click here to view the full Urgent Action in Word or PDF format, including case 
information, addresses and sample messages.

Ehsan Shah Ghasemi was initially arrested in July 2011 for stabbing Ali Khalili 
during a street fight that broke out when Ali Khalili stopped Ehsan Shah
Ghasemi and his friends for playing loud “illegal” music in their car. Ehsan 
Shah Ghasemi was held in a Security Police station for two weeks where he
claims he was subjected to torture and other ill-treatment. He was subsequently 
transferred to Kahrizak Detention Centre in southern Tehran where he
spent three months in solitary confinement, apparently with shackles on his 
hands and feet. A criminal court in Tehran sentenced him sometime between
March and April 2012 to 3 years’ imprisonment and ordered him to pay “financial 
compensation” (diyah) of 35 million rials [equivalent to 1,214 US
dollars]. He was also sentenced to 70 lashes for consumption of alcohol. Later 
in 2012, Ali Khalili and his father pardoned Ehsan Shah Ghasemi and the
case was closed.

Ehsan Shah Ghasemi was, however, re-arrested when Ali Khalili passed away in 
March 2014, as a result of health complications allegedly related to the
original assault and the medical treatment administered after the initial 
injury. He was sentenced to death in October 2014 under the principle of
“retribution-in-kind” (qesas). This was after two trial sessions before Branch 
113 of the Criminal Court of Tehran Province, where he was denied the
right to a lawyer of his own choosing and only met his court-recommended lawyer 
for the first time at his trial. The sentence was upheld by Iran’s
Supreme Court in May 2015 and is now with the head of judiciary to be approved 
on an expedited basis.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Ehsan Shah Ghasemi’s death sentence was sent to the Centre for the 
Implementation of Sentences immediately after it was upheld by Iran’s Supreme 
Court in
May 2015. His family has requested the authorities to delay the implementation 
of the sentence so as to have more time to secure a pardon from the family
of the deceased. The authorities have, however, denied the request, referring 
to a high-level instruction to fast track the implementation of the
sentence.

Click here to view the full Urgent Action in Word or PDF format.

Name: Ehsan Shah Ghasemi (m)
Issues: Imminent execution, Death penalty, Unfair trial
UA: 120/15 Issue Date: 29 May 2015
Country: Iran

Please let us know if you took action so that we can track our impact!

EITHER send a short email to uan at aiusa.org with "UA 120/15" in the subject 
line, and include in the body of the email the number of letters and/or emails
you sent,

OR fill out this short online form to let us know how you took action.

Thank you for taking action! Please check with the AIUSA Urgent Action Office 
if sending appeals after the below date. If you receive a response from a
government official, please forward it to us at uan at aiusa.org or to the Urgent 
Action Office address below.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Please write immediately in English, Persian, Arabic or your own language:
  *  Calling on the Iranian authorities to not execute Ehsan Shah Ghasemi, 
commute his death sentence, and order a retrial in strict compliance with
     international fair trial standards and without recourse to the death 
penalty;
  *  Reminding them that under international human rights law, the death penalty 
may be imposed only for “the most serious crimes” which international
     bodies have interpreted as being limited to intentional killing, and when 
the guilt of the person is proved upon clear and convincing evidence
     leaving no room for an alternative explanation.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 10 JULY 2015 TO:

Leader of the Islamic Republic
Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street – End of Shahid
Keshvar Doust Street,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Twitter: @khamenei_ir (English) or @Khamenei_fa (Persian) Email: 
info_leader at leader.ir
Salutation: Your Excellency

And copies to:
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Hassan Rouhani
The Presidency
Pasteur Street, Pasteur Square
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: media at rouhani.ir
Twitter: @HassanRouhani (English) and
@Rouhani_ir (Persian)



Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah SadeghLarijani
c/o Public Relations Office
Number 4, 2 Azizi Street intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Salutation: Your Excellency





Also send copies to:
Iran does not presently have an embassy in the United States. Instead, please 
send copies to:

Iranian Interests Section
2209 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington DC 20007
Phone: 202 965 4990  I  Fax: 202 965 1073  I  Email: info at daftar.org

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T. 202.509.8193 │ F. 202.509.8193 │E. uan at aiusa.org │amnestyusa.org/urgent