Iranian authorities executed three men, two of whom were brothers, in Isfahan Prison after psychologically torturing them and their family.
Amir Jalilifar and Akbar Jalilifar, two brothers who were sentenced to death for drug offenses, were executed Saturday in Isfahan Central Prison. Another prisoner also convicted of drug related charges was executed on the same day in Isfahan Prison. He has been identified as Mehdi Sarhadi.
They had their executions scheduled and postponed several times. Such conditions of uncertainty caused severe anguish and mental distress for the two and their family.
The last time was on June 30, when they were taken to solitary confinement and returned to the ward before their scheduled execution date. The two brothers, along with two other prisoners, were transferred to a quarantine cell on July 3.
Amir Jalilifar, 56, and Akbar Jalilifar, 42, from Isfahan, were both arrested on drug charges and sentenced to death. Akbar Jalilifar was married and had two children.
The other two death-row prisoners who were transferred to solitary confinement with the two brothers on July 3, are Mehrad Khaksar, 32 and Sajjad Sohrabi, 25. Their fate is unknown.
Psychological torture of prisoners before their execution is just a part of the Iranian authorities’ brutal tactics to instil fear among the public.
Many prisoners in Iran have spent prolonged periods on death row – in some cases more than a decade. Some have had their executions scheduled and postponed repeatedly.
The authorities even transfer death row prisoners to solitary confinement or to the gallows dozens of times to carry out the death sentence, but return them to custody, adding to their torment. Such conditions cause severe agony for prisoners and amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.
The clerical regime seeks to prevent escalation of popular protests by these executions, extensive arbitrary arrests, and other repressive measures.
Iran HRM once again calls on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Human Rights Council and other institutions defending human rights to take urgent action to save the lives of Iranian prisoners on death row. The Iranian regime’s dossier of human rights violations must be referred to the UN Security Council. The leaders and officials of the clerical regime in Iran must face justice for four decades of committing crimes against humanity.
