UN Experts Statement on Mahmoud Mehrabi's Death Sentence: These Punishments Contradict International Laws

A group of United Nations experts issued a statement calling for the immediate cancellation of Mahmoud Mehrabi's death sentence, a political prisoner condemned to death. In the statement published on Tuesday, May 13, they also urged the Islamic Republic to stop issuing death sentences against individuals for expressing their opinions. According to them, under international law, expressing critical views both online and offline does not meet the minimum conditions necessary for a death sentence, and the crimes attributed to this imprisoned political activist 'cannot in any way be considered the most serious crimes.' The UN experts referred to the death sentence issued for Tomaj Salehi in recent weeks, describing the issuance of death sentences or long-term imprisonment by the Islamic Republic for expressing opinions as 'concerning' and emphasized that 'these punishments are completely inconsistent with international laws and human rights standards.' They stated, 'The arrest, detention, and conviction of Mr. Mehrabi sends a terrifying message to all those who wish to express themselves freely within Iran.' The experts reminded that freedom of expression and opinion is essential for the functioning of a free and democratic society, sustainable development, and the full growth of individuals. They expressed concern that at least 15 others are at imminent risk of execution, referencing the issuance of death sentences for at least five protesters against the killing of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini. The experts concluded by urging Iranian officials to amend the constitution and criminal laws to prohibit executions and abolish all issued death sentences. Javid Rahman, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Jill Edwards, the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and Maurice Tidball-Binz, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, are the authors of this statement. Meanwhile, the judiciary of the Islamic Republic defended the issuance of the death sentence for Mahmoud Mehrabi, one of the detainees from the 2021 protests who was recently sentenced to death, while considering the sentence 'appealable' in the Supreme Court. The Mizan news agency, affiliated with the Iranian judiciary, briefly denied the issuance of the death sentence 'due to activities in cyberspace' on Tuesday morning, May 6, 2024, but explained that the content of Mehrabi's case was based on 'publishing materials including instructions on the use of homemade weapons, inciting the destruction of public property, provoking people to war and slaughter, and insulting sacred beliefs.' The judiciary emphasized that Mehrabi's trial was held with the presence of two of his lawyers and also claimed that the 'defendant' has '52 private plaintiffs' who have filed complaints against him for 'spreading falsehoods.' Last week, Mahmoud Mehrabi's defense attorney announced that the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Isfahan sentenced this political prisoner to death for the charge of 'corruption on earth.' According to the report from the Dabban legal advisory group, Mahmoud Mehrabi has been in prison since January 2023 and was charged with 187 counts, including 'corruption on earth,' this October. The attribution of the charge 'corruption on earth' and the issuance of the death sentence for this young protester in Dastgerd prison in Isfahan followed the publication of his opinions on social media, including Instagram. Babak Farsani, a lawyer, wrote on the social media platform X on Sunday, May 5, 'My client Mahmoud Mehrabi has been sentenced to death by Branch 5 of the Revolutionary Court of Isfahan for the charge of corruption on earth.' This lawyer also stated that a colleague saw the 'notification of the ruling without an attachment' by attending the branch and reviewing the case file. Babak Farsani expressed hope that 'serious flaws in the ruling will be addressed' and that the lawyers' objections will 'be taken into account by the Supreme Court' of the Islamic Republic. Hajar Mehrabi, Mahmoud Mehrabi's sister, also previously told Voice of America that 'today,' on Sunday, her brother was 'taken from prison to court' where 'the ruling was read to him orally,' and the judge told him, 'We see no regret or remorse on your face.' According to Ms. Mehrabi, her lawyer, 'Ms. Kazemi,' was also told, 'Due to national security issues, we are unable to provide a written ruling.' Hajar Mehrabi stated that in protest against her brother's arrest, 'for more than 16 months, I have stood every day in front of the UN headquarters in Vienna' holding his photo, saying that Mahmoud Mehrabi was in Vienna but 'returned to Iran' and 'stood and resisted with empty hands of power and politics. He stood and was the voice of the people. My brother did not choose to be gray. My brother was here in the city of Vienna but returned to Iran and wanted to be in Iran and the voice of the people. He has been imprisoned and tortured for more than 16 months.' She requested that 'be the voice of Mahmoud Mehrabi,' adding, 'My brother is one of thousands of nameless and oppressed prisoners who have no voice. Do not discriminate between political prisoners, and I ask you to be their voice. We have no one else but each other.' Meanwhile, a social media account attributed to Maryam Mehrabi, another sister of Mahmoud Mehrabi, published a post indicating that she intends to 'self-immolate' on Tuesday in protest against the issuance of the death sentence for her brother in front of the house of Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Naseri, a professor at the seminary in Isfahan. The Dabban legal advisory group also announced that the indictment against Mahmoud Mehrabi last year for the charge of 'corruption on earth' was issued in the second investigative branch of the public and revolutionary prosecutor's office of Mobarakeh County in Isfahan 'based on the complaint of 77 plaintiffs' and the charge was based on 'widespread falsehoods published on his Instagram page, propaganda against the regime, inciting military and law enforcement forces to not perform their duties, inciting people to war and slaughter, and insulting the founder and leader of the Islamic Republic.' According to this legal group, 'the attribution of the charge of corruption on earth against Mahmoud Mehrabi is while there is no concrete evidence in his actions indicating the commission of this criminal act in reality,' and 'the lack of any concrete evidence for attributing this charge against Mahmoud Mehrabi becomes more evident' when the indictment claims that the charge of 'spreading falsehoods' has caused 'disruption of public order and significant damage to public property.' The Dabban legal advisory group stated, 'The reliance of the indictment on the complaints of 77 people against Mahmoud Mehrabi and the attribution of 187 charges to him aims to broadly portray his criminal activity and consequently attribute the charge of corruption on earth, which is a clear indication of heavy case fabrication by intelligence and security institutions against this political prisoner.' Gohar Eshghi, the mother of the justice-seeking Sattar Beheshti, a worker and blogger who was killed in detention, reacted to the issuance of the death sentence for Mahmoud Mehrabi on X, stating, 'The criminal Khamenei and his executioners have decided to turn our country into a graveyard; with death sentences, they want to create fear and distance us from each other. We must stand together, unite, and strike; our children's lives are at risk.' The issuance of the death sentence for Mahmoud Mehrabi comes after reports of Tomaj Salehi's sentencing to death in the Revolutionary Court, which has sparked widespread global protests.