Jafar Kazemi
Born1964
Died24 Jan 2011
Evin Prison, Iran
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
NationalityIranian
Occupation(s)Lithographer for textbooks and pamphlets at Amirkabir University of Technology

Jafar Kazemi (Persian: جعفر کاظمی) was a political prisoner in Iran who was sentenced to death for co-operation with the Iranian opposition group People's Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI or MEK) and was hanged in Evin Prison on January 24, 2011, along with another political prisoner, Mohammad Ali Haj Aghaei.[1][2][3][4] His execution was widely covered by the press and brought international attention to the human rights situation in Iran.[1][2][5][6][7][8]

Arrest

Jafar Kazemi was a lithographer for textbooks and pamphlets at Amirkabir University of Technology.[9] He was arrested on September 18, 2009, during the massive demonstration in Tehran and was transferred to Evin prison. In the 1980s and 1990s, he was arrested for being a member of the opposition group PMOI and for spending time at Camp Ashraf in Iraq to visit his son.[2][10]

Execution

According to his wife, Jafar Kazemi had been tortured by Iranian authorities.[11]

The torture were reportedly physical and psychological, and interrogators allegedly threatened Kazemi with arresting his wife and children if he did not confess.[12]

Prosecutors accused Kazemi of sending images of 2009 presidential election protests to "foreign contacts", shouting "anti-government slogans", and of visiting his son in Camp Ashraf, an MEK camp at the time.[13][14][15][16]

According to a National Council of Resistance of Iran spokesperson, Kazemi (and Haj Aqaei) had been apprehended by Iranian authorities after visiting Camp Ashraf.[17]

On January 24, 2011, Kazemi was hanged for his alleged ties to the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK), an opposition group to the Iranian regime. Mohammad Ali Haj-Aghai and Ali Saremi were also hanged in Evin prison for being MEK supporters.[18][19][8][20]

The Iranian government's official explanation for the execution was that "Two elements of the Monafeghin (hypocrites) cell named Jafar Kazemi...and Mohammad Ali Hajaghaei...were executed early today."[21] The Iranian regime refers to the MEK with the derogatory name "Monafeghin".[22]

International response

Hillary Clinton said that Kazemi was "exercising their right to free expression", and urged the Iranian regime to halt the execution. The United States government also urged Iranian authorities to "halt these executions in accordance with its obligations to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights".[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Iranian Activists Face Execution as 'Enemies of God'". VOA. 10 August 2010. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  2. 1 2 3 "Two Political Prisoners Arrested After Elections Executed". Center for Human Rights in Iran. 2011-01-24. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  3. ↑ بقراطی, نیوشا (24 January 2011). "همسر جعفر کاظمی: برای ملاقات به زندان رفتيم، گفتند اعدام شده است". رادیو فردا (in Persian). Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  4. ↑ "ACTION URGENTE" (PDF).
  5. 1 2 "Report: Iran hangs 2 men who made videos of post-election turmoil". CNN.
  6. ↑ "World Report 2012: Iran". World Report 2012. 22 January 2012. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  7. ↑ "Autoridades iranianas enforcam 6 pessoas". Jornada de Brazilia. 24 January 2011.
  8. 1 2 "Iranian Hangings Sparks Protests". UPI.
  9. ↑ "Defenders of Iranians' Human Rights Sentenced to Years in Jail". PBS.
  10. ↑ "رادیو زمانه | حقوق انسانی ما | زندان و مجازات | جعفر کاظمی زیر خطر اعدام". zamaaneh.com. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  11. ↑ "Iranian Prisoner's Wife Pleads For His Life, Claims False Confession Sought". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 26 May 2010.
  12. ↑ "Iran Summary" (PDF). STATE.GOV.
  13. ↑ "Iran: Deepening Crisis on Rights". HRW. 26 January 2011.
  14. ↑ "Overseas news in brief". Church Times.
  15. ↑ "Overseas news in brief". www.churchtimes.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  16. ↑ "Iran: Deepening Crisis on Rights". Human Rights Watch. 2011-01-26. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
  17. ↑ "UN says Iran has executed at least 66 this year". CTV News. 2 February 2011.
  18. ↑ World Report 2012: Events of 2011 (Human Rights Watch World Report). Seven Stories Press. 2012. p. 554. ISBN 9781609803896.
  19. ↑ "UN Says Iran Has Executed At Least 66 This Year". CBS. 2 February 2011.
  20. ↑ Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Report Submitted to the ..., Volume 2. 2012. p. 2017.
  21. ↑ "Obama Threatens Tighter Sanctions; Oil Price Drop Endangers Subsidy Reform". PBS.
  22. ↑ Ram, Haggay (1992). "Crushing the Opposition: Adversaries of the Islamic Republic of Iran". Middle East Journal. 46 (3): 426–439. JSTOR 4328464.


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