Reports on the Execution of 'Mohammad Abdollahi and Five Other Prisoners' in Urmia

Reports indicate that Mohammad Abdollahi, a Kurdish political activist, along with five prisoners accused of drug-related crimes, was hanged in Urmia Central Prison early Tuesday morning. According to HRANA, efforts by Abdollahi's lawyer to halt the execution of his 'unjust' sentence were unsuccessful until the last moments. The report adds that Abdollahi's lawyer emphasized that the case and the judicial process leading to the death sentence for Mr. Abdollahi were 'flawed.' Meanwhile, HRANA has reported the names of the other five executed individuals: Kamran Pourfat from Piranshahr, Tavhid Pourmehdi from Urmia, Amir Azizijahangir Razavi Zadeh from Urmia, and Jabraeil Kanaan from Urmia. In this context, a relative of Mohammad Abdollahi confirmed to Voice of America that Abdollahi and five others accused of drug-related crimes were transferred to prison quarantine on Monday night and executed early Tuesday. Reports indicate that Mohammad Abdollahi was arrested in 2010. During his arrest, he was shot in the leg by security forces. However, this citizen from Mahabad was transferred to solitary confinement in the Urmia Intelligence Department detention center and interrogated in that condition. He was deprived of the right to have a lawyer during his interrogation and had appeared in court nine times before 2013. In the tenth session of his trial in July 2013, held at Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court in Mahabad, he was charged with moharebeh (waging war against God) through membership in the Komala Party, propaganda against the regime, and actions against national security. While Mohammad Abdollahi's death sentence was carried out, last week Iranian judiciary officials announced the execution of 20 members of the 'Tawhid and Jihad' group in Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also described the execution of these Sunni prisoners in a statement as a 'great injustice' and expressed doubts about their access to a fair trial. Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein also referred to the case of Shahram Ahmadi, stating that he was 'forced under pressure and coercion to sign an interrogation document that contained false confessions.' In this regard, Jawad Larijani's protest against the UN statement regarding the execution of 20 prisoners in Iran, the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned foreign positions against the execution of '20 prisoners.' The UN described the execution of 20 prisoners in Iran as a 'great injustice.' The Attorney General of Iran announced that the number of executed members of the 'Tawhid and Jihad' group was 20.