Amnesty International to the Islamic Republic: Do Not Execute Ehsan Shah-Qasemi

Amnesty International has urged the Islamic Republic not to execute Ehsan Shah-Qasemi, who is accused of murdering a young cleric and Basij member. In a statement issued on Thursday, June 7, the international human rights organization criticized the sentencing of Mr. Shah-Qasemi to qisas (retribution) three years after the initial altercation with Mr. Khalili, which resulted in his death. Ali Khalili, a Basij member, was injured on July 16, 2011, in a street confrontation with Ehsan Shah-Qasemi, which he claimed was for 'enjoining good and forbidding wrong.' Mr. Khalili eventually recovered and even walked to Karbala several times. After receiving 35 million tomans in blood money, he officially declared his forgiveness of the assailant. This young Basij member ultimately passed away on March 24, 2014, about three years after the altercation. Following this incident, a new case was opened against Ehsan Shah-Qasemi for murder, and he was ultimately sentenced to qisas. Meanwhile, Mr. Shah-Qasemi's father has requested the Khalili family to forgive his son and prevent his execution. He told Mehr News Agency that his son 'has been in prison for more than three years and four months' and added, 'As Ehsan's family, we will do everything we can to let the martyr's family know that the value of the blood of martyr Ali Khalili is very high for us.'