Amnesty International condemns execution of Kurdish inmate in Iran

WASHINGTON DC-- Amnesty International condemned the execution of Kurdish prisoner Behrouz Alkhani by Iranian authorities on Wednesday, describing it as “a vicious act of cruelty” while a Kurdish group warned Tehran of the consequences of the execution.

“Today's execution of Behrouz Alkhani, who was still waiting for the outcome of a Supreme Court appeal against his sentence, is a vicious act of cruelty by the Iranian authorities and a denigration of both Iranian and international law,” said Said Boumedouha, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Program.

Alkhani, 30, was arrested in 2010 in the border city of Salmas in western Iran and was charged by a Revolutionary Court with killing the prosecutor of Khoy.

Alikhani was also charged with membership in the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) and “enmity against God”.

He was executed in the city of Urumiyeh while waiting to hear on the outcome of an appeal against his death sentence.

Amnesty International reported that he was held in solitary confinement for more than a year without trial or access to his family or lawyers.

The organization urged the Iranian authorities on Tuesday to halt Alkhani’s execution, saying that sentencing him to death while waiting for the outcome of his appeal was “an affront to justice.”

In a statement published on Firatnews, PJAK called Alkhani’s execution “inhumane” and warned Tehran that this type of action would strengthen their resolve against the regime.

“No one should doubt that those who play with the Kurdish people and their values will share the same fate with ISIS gangs,” read the PJAK statement.

Iran ranks second after China for the number of executions. Reports say that Alkhani’s hanging added to 700 other executions carried out in Iran so far this year.

PJAK blamed the government of Hassan Rouhani for the executions.

“They (Kurds) must use their legitimate right to self-defense against the execution policy and savagery of the Rouhani state as well,” said the group’s statement.