Poignant appeal from the mother of a juvenile on death row in Iran

"To all freedom-loving people wherever they may live." A Conversation with the Mother of Farzad Kamangar, a Kurdish Activist on Death Row.

On 25 February 2008, the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced Farzad Kamangar to death on charges of "endangering national security" and "enmity against God" (moharebe). The death penalty was confirmed by the Supreme Court on 11 July.

Farzad Kamangar, Iranian teacher, member of teacher union and human rights activist was arrested in July 2006 and under severe torture by the prison authorities on different occasions during his detention, they forced him to confess to charges against himself. For several months he was kept in solitary confinement and was not allowed any contact with his family or lawyer. The police also arrested Farzad's girlfriend, as well as members of his family.

Kamangar, who worked as a teacher in rural areas and was a human rights activist, is accused of being a terrorist through his alleged affiliation to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, PKK. According to his lawyer who was not permitted to defend him, Khalil Bahramian “Nothing in Kamangar’s judicial files and records demonstrates any links to the charges brought against him”. He described the trial as “lasting no more than five minutes, with the judge issuing his sentence without any explanation and then promptly leaving the room.” According to Bahramian, the closed-door trial violated the Iranian legal requirements that such cases must be tried publicly and in the presence of a jury.

Farzad’s lawyer appealed the death sentence given the complete lack of evidence. According to him, the prosecution and death sentence are an indication of “discrimination against Kurds” within the judicial system. On 11 July 2008, the Supreme Court upheld Farzad Kamangar’s death sentence. He could be executed any day.

Farzad's mother wishes to deliver the following message, as reported by by Mohammad-Amin Kamangar on the Persian2english blog:

"Please send my best wishes to Mina Ahadi and tell her that she should send a message to all mothers who have lost loved ones and those whose loved ones are imprisoned like mine that we should do something for them ourselves.

"All the youngsters who have been executed, are being executed, and those in detention, are all my brothers and sisters, just as my Farzad is a son to countless others. I have said this many times: He belongs to all people. Human beings are not different from each other, be they Persian, Kurd, Arab or Turk. We are all human beings and we want freedom and dignity. But who do we talk to? Where? How?

"My message to mothers in the same situation is this: my dear sisters and my dear daughters, wherever we are, whatever our ideas and opinions, we need to join hands, stay in touch and protest in a unified manner. We need to rise together. What are they going to do to us? Execute us? Let us be executed so that we may never see the deaths of our children. Dear mothers, please let us join hands to free our young people. I know that these gentlemen (regime officials) are listening to these words. Let them hear me. Let them execute me. I will sooner set myself on fire than silence myself. Have they not seen what happened to the Shah? Have they not seen what happened to Saddam? They should not continue on this path or they will meet the same fate.

"What do the youth want besides freedom? What crime has Farzad committed except seeking freedom? He has spent 4 years in prison. Lately his lawyer wanted to review his file and they have told him that the file is lost! His lawyer has suffered a stroke because of the stress caused by Farzads case and the tens of other similar cases, and is now hospitalized.<>P> "I
am pleading with the Human Rights Commission, all political parties and organizations that are for humanity and all people who fight for human dignity. The situation is very dangerous. They are executing youngsters everyday.

If anyone can do anything, please do. Do not let them execute youngsters en masse. You and all the world shall be my defense. Please let the world hear my message."

May the world hear her plea for justice.