URGENT ACTION APPEAL UPDATE
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4 May 2005
Further Information on UA 318/03 issued 5 November
2003 and re-issued 20 August 2004
Fear of execution/ unfair trial
IRAN: Hojjat Zamani (m), aged 29
The death sentence against Hojjat Zamani has reportedly
been upheld by the Supreme Court and could be carried out
at any time. He was sentenced to death by Branch Six of
Tehran's Revolutionary Court on 17 July 2004.
Hojjat Zamani was accused of allegedly aiding the armed
opposition group, People's Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI) to
plant a bomb outside a Revolutionary Court in 1998, which
reportedly injured 22 people and killed three others. He was
charged with 'corruption on earth' (mafsad fil arz) and
'enmity against god' (moharebeh), under Articles 183, 186
and 187 of Iran's penal code. Both of these vaguely worded
charges, which relate to national security and membership
of banned organizations, carry the death penalty.
Hojjat Zamani is believed to have been represented by a
court-appointed lawyer during his trial, who Amnesty
International fears may not have provided effective
counsel. He is currently detained in Raja'i Shahr prison in
Karaj, just outside Tehran. He went on a thirty day hunger
strike in January 2005.
Hojjat Zamani was reportedly arrested in Tehran in 2000,
and according to a PMOI statement, was severely tortured
in detention. In August 2003, he escaped from detention
and fled to Turkey. However he was reportedly arrested in
Istanbul by Turkish authorities acting in cooperation with
Iran's intelligence services. He was forcibly returned to
Iran in November 2003.
In March 2000, Hojjat Zamani's father and two of his
brothers were arrested at their home. Hojjat Zamani's
father was reportedly badly beaten and thrown out of a
moving car into the street. His two brothers were executed
in 2001. Reports indicate that the executions and the
detention of Hojjat Zamani, contributed to the medical
condition that culminated in the death of his father in 2001.
To view the campaign 'web log' set up by supporters of
Hojjat Zamani, please see http://hzamani.blogspot.com
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to
arrive as quickly as possible:
- recognizing the rights and responsibilities of states to
bring to justice those suspected of criminal offences;
- stating your unconditional opposition to the death penalty
irrespective of the crime for which it is imposed, as the
ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, and a
violation of the right to life;
- expressing concern that the death sentence against Hojjat
Zamani has reportedly been upheld by the Supreme Court;
- urging the authorities to commute the death sentence
against Hojjat Zamani with a view to identifying an
alternative to the death penalty.
APPEALS TO: (Please note that email server in Iran
are unreliable. If your message bounces for any reason,
please resend it)
Leader of the Islamic Republic:
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed 'Ali Khamenei
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: 011 98 21 649 5880 (please mark 'For the attention
of the Office of His Excellency, Ayatollah
al Udhma Khamenei, Qom)
Email: [email protected] OR [email protected]
(on the subject line write: For the
attention of the Office of His Excellency,
Ayatollah al Udhma Khamenei, Qom)
Salutation: Your Excellency
Head of the Judiciary:
His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Ministry of Justice
Park-e Shahr
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: [email protected] (mark 'Please forward
to HE Ayatollah Shahroudi')
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Minister of Foreign Affairs:
His Excellency Kamal Kharrazi
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Sheikh Abdolmajid Keshk-e Mesri Avenue
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: [email protected]
Salutation: Your Excellency
Iran does not presently have an embassy in this country.
Instead, please send copies to:
Iranian Interests Section
2209 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington DC 20007
Phone: 202 965 4990
Fax: 202 965 1073
Please send appeals immediately. Check with the
Colorado office between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm,
Mountain Time, weekdays only, if sending appeals after
June 15, 2005.
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that
promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including
contact information and stop action date (if applicable). Thank
you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
PO Box 1270
Nederland CO 80466-1270
Email: [email protected]
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 303 258 1170
Fax: 303 258 7881
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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