Iranian Sunni Prisoner Executed Amid Human Rights Concerns

Qasem Abasteh, an Iranian Sunni prisoner, was executed in a prison near Tehran during the early hours of Monday.

The 44-year-old was transferred to the special unit within the prison to carry out the execution order last week.

Following Abasteh’s transfer to solitary confinement, a group of political prisoners detained at Ghezel Hesar prison issued a public call to prevent his execution.

In their letter, they emphasized the absence of a fair trial, stating, "We cannot allow the current circumstances and the escalating regional tensions to provide an opportunity for the execution of a fellow countryman and a government-sponsored killing."

Ahmadreza Haeri, a political prisoner, wrote from prison, "The entire trial did not last more than two minutes. Judge Moghiseh said first, you are a Kurd! Second, you are Sunni! Third, you have Salafi beliefs! These are the three reasons for the execution."

Abasteh, a father of two from Mahabad, was detained in December 2009, along with six other Kurdish citizens, by security forces, amid ongoing oppression of Kurdish Iranians.

In 2015, the Sunni inmates were tried by Judge Mohammad Moghiseh, the head of Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court and sentenced to death. The sentences were confirmed by the Supreme Court in 2020, after years of legal wrangling. In September 2020, their request for a retrial was rejected by the Supreme Court.

They were accused of various charges, including "War against God," "corruption on earth," "support for Salafi groups," and the "murder" of Abdolrahim Tina, who was killed by unidentified assailants in September 2008. However, in their numerous letters published by human rights organizations in recent years, the individuals denied any connection to the allegations.

With Abasteh’s execution, six other prisoners who were co-defendants with him are now at risk of execution.

In October alone, 78 prisoners were executed in Iran and in the first half of 2023, 354 were executed.