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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani has ordered an investigation into the suspected extradition of a Kurdish prisoner who was executed by Iran on Saturday.
Mustafa Salimi, 53, an Iranian Kurdish prisoner who had escaped Saqqez prison late last month was hanged on Saturday, according to state-affiliated outlet Tasnim News. He was accused of planning the prison breakout, according to court prosecutor Mohammad Jabbari.
"This prisoner was one of the main leaders and planners of the breakout from Saqqez prison on March 27," Jabbari told the outlet.
Around 70 inmates escaped the facility after a riot broke out late last month, with coronavirus fears stoking unrest in prisons across the country. Nine remain at large, according to Jabbari.
According to the Independent Board of Human Rights (IBHR), Salimi fled to the Kurdistan Region but was extradited to Iran by security forces in Penjwen.
"This is a blatant violation of human rights contradicting all the international agreements and article 21 of the Iraqi constitution which stipulates that political asylum seekers should never be extradited to their countries of origin," IRBR head Ziya Petros told Rudaw.
The KRG has formed a committee to investigate the case as Sulaimani authorities "categorically" deny any knowledge of Salimi.
"According to a decree from the KRG to contain the spread of coronavirus, a curfew has been in place since March 14 with our Asayesh forces being committed to it. During that period of time, our forces in Penjwen and Garmk area have not been ordered to make any arrests," read an official statement from Sulaimani Asayesh (security forces).
"There is no name registered under Mustafa Salimi in Sulaimani Asayesh, residency and border crossings data," the statement added. "We do not know anyone by this name."
“The KRG is not aware of this subject, and if such a thing has happened, it has been done without the knowledge of the KRG,” said government spokeperson Jotiar Adil on Saturday.
"To follow up on this matter, the KRG prime minister has decided that an investigative committee will be formed," Adil added.
Salimi was imprisoned and sentenced to death in 2004 for involvement in an armed robbery and the murder of two police officers.
Judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi said recently claimed to have released 85,000 prisoners from Iran's jails as a preventative measure to halt the spread of the virus.
While the authorities have released some political prisoners, many are still languishing in jail.
According to Iran Human Rights (IHR), Tehran executed at least 280 prisoners in 2019, including at least four juvenile offenders.
253 people were executed in 2018, compared to 507 in 2017, according to figures from Amnesty International.
Additional reporting by Fazel Hawramy
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