Death Sentences Issued for 6 Political Prisoners in Evin

An informed source in Iran told the Persian section of Voice of America on Saturday, December 1, that Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court has issued death sentences for 6 political prisoners held in Evin Prison, and two other political prisoners have also been sentenced to imprisonment and exile. According to this informed source, based on the sentences issued by Judge Iman Afshari, the 6 political prisoners; Akbar Daneshvar Kar, Seyed Mohammad Taghavi Sangdehi, Babak Alipour, Pouya Ghobadi Bistouni, Vahid Bani Amiri, and Seyed Abolhasan Montazeri have been sentenced to death on charges of "baghi" (rebellion) through membership in the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran. Meanwhile, Mr. Daneshvar Kar, Taghavi Sangdehi, Alipour, Bani Amiri, and Montazeri have each been sentenced to 5 years of prison for the charge of "gathering and colluding to disrupt national security." Additionally, Akbar Daneshvar Kar and Seyed Mohammad Taghavi Sangdehi have each been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the charge of "forming illegal groups," and Babak Alipour has been sentenced to 20 years of exile to the city of Khash in Sistan and Baluchestan province for the charge of "destruction of public property." This informed source also stated that Pouya Ghobadi Bistouni has been sentenced to one year in prison for the charge of "illegal border crossing," Seyed Ali Taghavi Sangdehi has been sentenced to two years in prison for membership in the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, and Seyed Mojtaba Taghavi Sangdehi has been sentenced to 3 years and 7 months in prison for the charge of "gathering and colluding to disrupt national security" and 3 years in prison for membership in the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran. The trial of these political prisoners was held in October of this year. Previously, death sentences had also been issued for several political prisoners arrested in recent years, including Pakhshan Azizi, Varisheh Moradi, Ahmadreza Jalali, Behrouz Ehsani Islamloo, Mehdi Hasani, Mohammad Javad Vafaee Sani, Abbas Daris, Ali Majdam, Moein Khonfari, Mohammad Reza Moghadam, and Adnan Ghabishavi (Mousavi). The issuance and execution of death sentences in the Islamic Republic of Iran have led to widespread protests from human rights organizations and several countries around the world. For instance, the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution on November 21 condemning human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran. This resolution was adopted with 77 votes in favor, 28 against, and 66 abstentions. Demonstrations were held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in support of the 6 prisoners sentenced to death in the Ekbatan case. Why has the campaign against the death penalty in Iran and several countries failed? Mahmoud Amiri Moghaddam: Global pressures against the death penalty policy in the Islamic Republic of Iran are impactful. A letter from Arasham Rezaei from prison: The "medieval" act of execution must end. A human rights organization: 11 prisoners have been executed in Iran.