Appeal to Save Social Activist from Death Sentence
Write to Iranian leaders to stop the execution of Yaghoub Mehrnehad, the 28 year old director of the Voice of Justice Youth Association in Zahedan, sentenced to death following an unfair trial.
Cut and paste the following letter into your email. In the subject line write: "Stop the Exceution of Yaghoub Mehrnad"
Send your email to:
- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Seyd Ali Khamenei: info(at)leader.ir
- Head of the Judiciary, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hasemi Shahroudi: info(at)dadgostary-tehran.ir
- Speaker of the Parliament, Gholamali Hadad Adel: hadadadel(at)majlis.ir
- President of the Islamic Republic, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: dr-ahmadinejad(at)president.ir
- CC: info(at)iranhumanrights.org
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Your Excellencies,
I am writing to express my deep concern about the fate of Yaghoub Mehrnehad, who has been sentenced to death following alleged torture and a closed and unfair trial. I appeal to you to do all in your power to cancel his sentence and retry him in a transparent manner that will ensure the application of proper due process according to international fair trial standards.
Yaghoub Mehrnehad, 28 years of age, is a civil society activist and director of the Voice of Justice Youth Association in Zahedan. Following his critical writings and public demands for accountability by local officials, he was detained by intelligence officials in the spring of 2007.
Mehrnehad was tried by the Zahedan Revolutionary Court on 25 December 2007. On 7 February 2008, his family was informed that he had been sentenced to death, and the Judiciary confirmed on 19 February that he had been charged with “connections to Jundallah,” the armed Baluchi group.
Your Excellencies, Mehrehad’s trial was patently unfair and at variance with Iranian and international standards of justice. His conviction and death sentence appear to be transparently political:
- The trial was held behind closed doors, and no information was given to the family of the accused regarding the charges against him.
- The Judiciary presented no evidence to support their charges that Mehrnehad was associated with Jundallah, or that he had any responsibility for armed attacks.
- Mehrnehad’s associates have alleged that he has been tortured and forced to make false confessions.
Mehrenhad’s trial is a black mark against the credibility of the justice system and Iran’s international reputation.
I respectfully ask that you intervene to ensure that an innocent man will not be executed.
Sincerely,
