Kurdish Prisoner on Death Row in Iran Details Harsh Torture

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Below is a letter by Haibollah Golparipour, a Kurdish political prisoner sentenced to death in April 2010 on Mohareb (waging war against God) charges. The letter, addressed to the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenai describes the horrific physical and psychological torture Haibollah underwent in various Iranian prisons.

To the Leader of the Islamic Republic,

My name is Haibollah Golparipour and I have been sentenced to death on charges of acting against national security. During my arrest and interrogations my rights have been trampled on and no government agency has paid attention to my case and my protests.

I have been forced to write this letter to you because you are the commander of the Iranian armed forces. My rights have been ignored and I have been charged by the Revolutionary Guards of Mahabad, the Sanandaj Ministry of Intelligence.

First, as the Supreme Leader you need to know about what has taken place in organizations under your authority so that you can prevent injustices.

Secondly, as the moral leader of the country you have legal and moral obligations to make sure justice is carried out with regards to Iranian citizens.

Third, since you are the commander in chief you are responsible for organizations under your control including the Revolutionary Guards, the Ministry of Intelligence, and the Judiciary. You need to ask them for explanations, and if there are violations, you need to punish them in order to reform those organizations.

You are the only person who can order and monitor the Western Azerbaijan Revolutionary Guards and Ministry of Intelligence, who have gone beyond their authority. You are the only person who can reduce injustices in government organizations.

Now that I have explained why I have written this letter to you, I am going to explain why, according to the Islamic Republic constitution and judicial code, I have been wronged.

First, I will explain how I was arrested and interrogated during the first five months of my imprisonment by the Revolutionary Guards and the Ministry of Intelligence:

My name is Habibollah Golparipour. I was born in the Mahabad province and I was arrested by the Revolutionary Guards of Mahabad on charges of acting against national security. I was under arrest by the IRGC and the Sanandaj Ministry of Intelligence for five months.

During these five months I endured physical and psychological torture:

– My right hand was broken by the Mahabad Revolutionary Guards interrogators.

– My right leg was broken by the Mahabad Revolutionary Guards interrogators

– I endured beatings for several hours each day by the Mahabad Revolutionary Guards interrogators.

– I was hung from my hands and feet for several hours and once for two days by the Mahabad Revolutionary Guards interrogators.

– I was given electrical shock on my body parts, even on my private parts by the Mahabad Revolutionary Guards interrogators.

– The skin on my hands and feet cracked due to flogging and the administration of electric shock by the Mahabad Revolutionary Guards interrogators.

– I was beaten with an iron rod for a week by the Sanandaj Ministry of Intelligence for the duration of one week.

– I was exposed to the torture of other prisoners in order to weaken my spirits and to exert psychological pressure by the Sanandaj Ministry of Intelligence forces.

– I endured the arrest of my family members and threats against us in order to confess to the lies of the Sanandaj Ministry of Intelligence interrogators.

– I was threatened with death many times by the Sanandaj Ministry of Intelligence interrogators.

– I endured the broadcast of loud noises through prison loudspeakers and exertion of psychological pressures by the Sanandaj Ministry of Intelligence interrogators.

– I endured the use of foul language by prison guards of the Sanandaj Ministry of Intelligence.

– While being transferred from Orumiyeh to the Sanandaj Ministry of Intelligence, I was beaten by the Mahabad Revolutionary Guards on the way to prison.

– In a five minute session at the Mahabad Revolutionary Court, Mr. Sheikloo only asked my first and last name and then took my finger prints and that ended the session.

During court proceedings at branch 1 of the Revolutionary Courts, before judge Khodadadi asked for my name he immediately asked me why I have not cooperated with the agents. He said, “If there was a bigger punishment than execution, I would sentence you to that. I will surely put the noose around your neck.” And then he terminated the court session.

In my only court session, the judge read my lawyer’s defense and terminated the court proceedings. This was a show trial and it only lasted a few minutes. The following week I was taken to the Mahabad Revolutionary Court and an unknown person read something to me and told me that was my verdict. I still do not know the legal position of that person.

The content of the text was as follows: “You have been sentenced to death for acting against national security”.

My lawyer protested the verdict, but after three months the verdict was reconfirmed by a branch of the Supreme Court.

Surprisingly, while I was spending time in the Sanandaj Ministry of Intelligence, I was accused of the same crime, but I was released on a $10 thousand USD bail.

I think Iran is the only place in the world where a defendant gets interrogated for the same crime in two different cities, but is released on bail in one city (Sanandaj) and receives the death sentence in another (Mahabad). This should be considered the eighth wonder of the world! Or perhaps we should commend the Ministry of Intelligence and the Judiciary for their hard work.

I will now explain why this verdict is against the constitution and judicial codes of the country:

“No one can be arrested except as determined by laws. If someone is arrested the accused must immediately be informed of the charges in a written form and the case must be sent to judicial authorities within 24 hours. If this is violated, the violators must be prosecuted”. This is article 32 of the Islamic Republic constitution.

“Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. By law nobody can be convicted unless the crime is proven in court”. This is article 38 of the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Interestingly, in the last paragraph it states that guilt must be proven in a just court.

I am not sure whether I should say fortunately or unfortunately, but neither my guilt was proven in court nor was it proved that I took up arms against the regime.

Why was I convicted to death and labeled as an ‘enemy of God’? [Mohareb]

Since the first day when I was arrested by the Revolutionary Guards of Mahabad and while being transferred to Al-Mehdi detention center, the Orumiyeh Revolutionary Guards, the Sanandaj Ministry of Intelligence and the Oroumiyeh Ministry of Intelligence tortured me both physically and emotionally, which contradicts article 38 of the constitution.

Persian2English translated this HRANA report