News Letter

VOLUME XV NOVEMBER 8

 

In a letter to President Khamenei in June

AI expressed its deep concern at the many executions, which continue to take place in Iran, mentioning in particular a statement by the Prosecutor of the Revolutionary Anti-Drug court that 197 people had been executed for drug-related offences in March and April 1985. AI asked for details of the charges against those executed and sought assurance that they had received a fair trial, including the right to appeal against conviction and sentence. AI reiterated its unconditional opposition to the death penalty and urged that all death sentences be commuted in future.

AI also wrote in June to Interior Minister Nateq-Nouri, seeking information on the many arrests reportedly made in connection with public demonstrations in Tehran and other towns in the first half of 1985. Some people were allegedly arrested solely for having expressed their beliefs, without using or advocating violence, and AI urged the immediate release of any such detainees. It sought assurances that all those detained would be charged and tried in accordance with international standards for fair trial and that all necessary measures would be taken to safeguard them against torture or ill-treatment