To the people of the world

#FreeSinaDehghan

 

A 21 year old Iranian man to be executed in Iran for criticising Islam

Help us save him

 

The Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the highest judicial authority in the country, has confirmed the execution sentence of a 21 year old young man, Sina Dehghan for criticizing Islam and “insulting the prophet” of Islam.

Sina Dehghan was arrested on 21 October 2015 when he was 19 years of age and was sentenced to execution in the penal court of the city of Arak. He has been charged with writing critical material about Islam and opposition to Islamic sacrosanct elements on the Line social media network.

The security forces in Iran had told Sina in the course of the interrogations that if he accepts the accusations and then “repent” he would be pardoned. Nonetheless, despite the fact that confession was secured under pressure, the executions sentence was issued, and, later, was fully confirmed at the end of January by the Supreme Court. It is common for the authorities in Iran to torture prisoners in order to obtain false confession so they can then charge them based on the confession.

The security and judiciary authorities had told Sina’s family that if they do not publicize Sina’s case, he would be released. While the family did not speak out and kept quiet, the authorities confirmed Sina’s execution sentence in the Supreme Court. Sina can be sent to the gallows at any moment.

The two other accused of this case are Sahar Elyasi from Tehran and Mohammad Nouri from Arak. Mohammad Nouri has been sentenced to death with accusations similar to those of Sina Dehghan, and Mrs. Elyasi was condemned to seven years imprisonment for having insulted sacrosanct elements, but her sentence was reduced to three years in the appeal court in Mach 2016. According to article 262 of the Islamic penal code the penalty for insulting the prophet is being put to trial, and, if found guilty, condemned to execution.

Designating capital punishment for dissenters by the Islamic Republic is an indication of their fear of the spread of secular tendencies in society. Despite the reign of religious despotism, Iranian society is a non-Islamic society that seeks freedom, justice and secularism beyond the dominant religious impositions. These very execution orders indicate the way in which the two contrasting poles challenge each other.

Sina Dehghan and Mohammad Nouri must be saved from execution and Sahar Elyasi must be released from prison. Only through an international pressure these unjust sentences can be overturned.

 

It is not only the life of a single young man that is at stake; it is the fate of millions of young people and the masses of people who do not want the Islamic government. These people want a free society based on secular laws and the welfare and happiness of all the citizens. These are the humane wishes of the Iranian people. This is the common denominator for us all the world over. Join us and demand the release of Sina Dehghan, Mohammad Nouri, and Sahar Elyasi, as well as that of Soheil Arabi and Rouhollah Tavana who have been imprisoned from the summer of 2011 and autumn of 2013 for similar accusations.

Your action is vital in saving the lives of these prisoners. Please contact the international organizations, the members of parliament in your county, write letters and ask them to pressurize the authorities in Iran to release these three young people and overturn the execution sentences immediately.

International Committee against Capital Punishment

Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran (CFPPI)

 

Shiva Mahbobi, spokesperson for Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran (CFPPI)

​+44(0)7572356661, shiva.mahbobi@gmail.com

 

For more information contact:

Hasan Salehi, spokesperson for the International Committee against Capital Punishment

+46(0)703171102, hasan.salehi2000@gmail.com

 

 

We ask you to be the voice of Sina Dehghan, Sina can be sent to the gallows at any moment.

 

Please send your letter to:

 

Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani
c/o Public Relations Office
Number 4, 2 Azizi Street intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

Email:  info@dadiran.ir

If you are sending message via Twitter please use the following addresses and  the hashtag  #FreeSinaDehghan

@UNrightswire  @UNHumanRights  @HassanRouhani  @MartinSchulz  @Asma_Jahangir