PUBLIC AI Index: MDE 13/110/2008

08 August 2008

Further Information on 38/08 (MDE 13/038/2008, 12 February 2008) and follow-up (13/048/2008, 12 February 2008) - Death Sentence/Unfair Trial/Torture

IRAN Ya'qoub Mehrnehad (m) aged 28, member of Iran’s Baluchi minority

Ya’qoub Mehrnehad, a Baluchi cultural and civil rights activist, was executed on 4 August after his death sentence was approved by Iran’s prosecutor-general.

Ya’qoub Mehrnehad was sentenced to death in February 2008 after an unfair trial. Judiciary spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi, confirmed the sentence at a press conference on 19 February and stated that Ya'qoub Mehrnehad had been sentenced to death for "contacts with the Jondallah group", and that the sentence was open to appeal before the Supreme Court.

Zahedan's Public and Revolution Prosecutor Office had announced that Ya'qoub Mehrnehad was considered to be a member of Jondallah, also known as the Iranian Peoples’ Resistance Movement, and aiding Abdolmalek Rigi, the head of a Baluchi armed group. They were then charged with mohareb (enmity with God), and mofsed fi’l arz (corruption on earth).

Ya’qoub Mehrnehad's arrest, in May 2007, is believed to have been in connection to his work as a journalist and his activities as head of a registered NGO, The Voice of Justice Young People’s Society, which organizes events and educational courses for young Baluchi people and raises funds to help the poor.

In a meeting with his family Ya’qoub Mehrnehad said, "I am not guilty and this has happened unjustly and if I am executed, people will know that I have been executed without [having committed] a crime."

No further action is requested from the UA network. Many thanks to all who sent appeals.