Iran executes a young Kurdish prisoner

“Kurdish political prisoners are said to represent almost half of the total number of political prisoners in Iran,” UN said.

SANANDAJ, Iran (Kurdistan 24) - Iran executed a Kurdish prisoner in Sanandaj Prison in the dawn on Wednesday, Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) reported.

Morteza Rahmani, 26, was accused of Moharebeh and was hanged in the central prison of Sanandaj (Sina), the capital of Kurdistan Province, northwest of Iran.

Mohabreheb, the Arabic term meaning enmity against God, is an official crime in Iran punishable by death.

Rahmani, from the village of Tilko near the city of Kamyaran, had reportedly been in prison since 2013 for having joined a Kurdish opposition group.

Sources told KHRN that the young man and his family were put under tremendous pressure by the Iranian guards after he joined the opposition.

Rahmani was reportedly sent on a mission by Iran to assassinate a member of the opposition, a mission he failed to accomplish. 

"He became a victim of personal vengeance and was punished for not having been able to carry an imposed duty," KHRN quoted.

Last August, 22 international human rights organizations condemned Iran’s execution of Kurdish political prisoners and prisoners of conscience.

They urged the European Union (EU) to call on Iran to impose a moratorium on the death penalty in light of its upcoming human rights dialogue with the EU.

“The EU should insist that as a sign of good will Iranian authorities should cease all executions at the minimum for the duration of the dialogue,” the rights group said.

The UN Special Rapporteur in March condemned the disproportionate imprisonment and execution of Kurds.

"Almost one-fifth of the executions that took place in Iran in 2016 concerned Kurdish prisoners,” Asma Jahangir said.

“Kurdish political prisoners are said to represent almost half of the total number of political prisoners in Iran,” she continued