Iranian Rights Defender Receives Martin Ennals Award

(21 May 2009) – The decision to present the prestigious Martin Ennals Award this year to Emad Baghi for his work on prisoners’ rights and efforts to end the death penalty will help focus international attention on the perilous human rights situation in Iran, Human Rights Watch and the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today.

“The award to Emad Baghi for his courageous efforts helps to keep the eyes of the world on the difficult human rights situation in Iran,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Baghi has also been a leading advocate against capital punishment in the face of rising numbers of executions in Iran.”

Sharia and Islamic Jurisprudence Allow for Abolition of the Death Penalty

(1 December 2008) An Arabic translation of “Right to Life”, a book by Iranian human rights defender Emad Baghi, has been published by the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information and the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. The book presents groundbreaking research in Islamic jurisprudence and Sharia supporting the suspension and abolition of capital punishment in countries following Islamic law.

“Right to Life” has been banned by Iranian authorities and Baghi has been imprisoned and interrogated several times for articles he wrote making the arguments collected in this book.

114 Child Offenders Awaiting Hangman’s Noose

(18 June 2008) The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran published a list of 114 child offenders awaiting execution in Iran today, the first time such a list has been made available detailing the practice, which has been banned in all but a handful of countries. The list is the result of comprehensive primary [...]