Zanyar Moradi and Ramin Hossein Panahi, two Kurdish political prisoners sentenced to death by the Iranian government, have published an open letter to the public regarding the implementation of the “death penalty” from the history of Constitutionalism to today and stated that various governments regard such penalty as “the most fearsome tool for the elimination of dissents.”
In their letter, these two political prisoners who are at risk of immediate execution called on Iranian political and civil activists to investigate the unfounded allegations and anti-humane sentences against Kurdish political prisoners in order to prevent the government from pursuing its current policies by creating dispute among the people and taking advantage the public’s lack of political awareness .”
The above-mentioned political prisoners who are held in the central prison of Sanandaj and Rajai Shahr in Karaj concluded their statement by inviting the Iranian activists to support the rights of the Kurdish people and put an stop to the ongoing executions and repressions of Kurdish people
This letter, a copy which was sent to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), states:
“Taking the life of human beings by death penalty is one of the most ancient methods of punishment. Throughout the history of Iran’s legitimisation, all central governments including the constitutional government (which could have ended in a democratic system) have adopted the death penalty as a tool to eliminate the oppositions. Unfortunately, the non-Kurdish people did not consider the execution of a Kurdish person by the Iranian public as something illegitimate just until very recently because Kurds were made to look like pro-violent separatist people by the Iranian governmental propaganda tools.
The war in Kurdistan practically helped the Islamic Republic of Iran to suppress all rival political trends at the beginning of the 60’s through national indoctrination, incitement of religious feelings on the pretext of confronting paralysis and fighting counter-revolution and mobbing operations . Consequently, the Kurdish youth are sentenced to death on paranoid charges including paralysis or terrorist operations. Farzad Kamangar, a leading teacher and advocate of human rights, was sentenced to death on such grounds.
Accordingly, as two of the political prisoners sentenced to death who support the establishment of a democratic society in Iran regardless of our geographical origin in Kurdistan, we expect Iranian human rights and political activists to investigate to investigate the unfounded allegations and anti-humane sentences against Kurdish political prisoners in order to prevent the government from pursuing its current policies by creating dispute among the people and taking advantage the public’s lack of political awareness.
We hope that demonstrations by human rights supporters create a foundation of awareness among the Iranian and Kurdistan public against the execution of politicians in Kurdistan. We pray for the establishment of a .government which values freedom and democracy and supports the rights of Iranians”
We hope that the issue of political executions in Kurdistan, which has become normal during the past years, will lead to an integrated alliance against executions and repression. We also hope for the realisation of a state based on freedom and equality in the near future by preserving the recognition of the rights of Iranians, democracy, freedom and lasting peace.
Zanyar Modari – Rajai Shahr Prision
Ramin Hossein Panahi – Sanandaj Prison
