Members of the Italian Interparliamentary Committee for a Free Iran have submitted an urgent appeal to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, calling for immediate intervention to prevent the execution of six political prisoners in Iran. The prisoners—Abolhassan Montazer, Pouya Ghobadi, Vahid Bani-Amrian, Babak Alipour, Ali Akbar Daneshvarkar, and Mohammad Taghavi—have been sentenced to death following prolonged interrogations, severe torture, and what the appeal describes as blatantly unfair trials.
The prisoners face accusations including “membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK),” “armed rebellion against the government,” and “collusion against national security.” These charges, the Committee emphasized, are politically motivated and represent a severe violation of international human rights standards, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a signatory.
The appeal underscores the dire conditions of the prisoners, particularly 65-year-old Montazer, who suffers from severe health issues, and young engineer Ghobadi, who has faced repeated arrests. Judge Iman Afshari of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, notorious for overseeing politically charged trials, presided over the cases.
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The escalating use of the death penalty in Iran to suppress dissent, the Committee argued, constitutes a grave affront to fundamental human rights. “Iran’s judicial system continues to wield capital punishment as a tool of political repression, aiming to silence voices advocating for democracy and freedom,” the appeal states.
The Committee urged the UN to take immediate action, including publicly condemning the sentences, mobilizing international pressure on Iranian authorities, and demanding the release of all political prisoners detained on fabricated charges. The appeal concluded with a call for the international community to break its silence in the face of such egregious violations.
The original text of the appeal follows: