Farzad Kamangar and four other political prisoners executed at Evin prison 9-2010

Farzad Kamangar and four other political prisoners executed at Evin prison 9-2010.

They EXECUTED Her: Shirin Alam Hooli

She was 28 years old; born in a village near a small town Maku. She was arrested two years ago; tortured; and sentenced to 2 years of prison for trying to leave the country illegally; and death for connections to PJAK. A few weeks ago; she wrote a letter. I wish I wasn't so late in translating it ... but I do now ... not because i am not depressed anymore; but just to tell you of the nature of the beast that's working hard to disintegrate my country, by targeting the ethnic minorities; stirring their justifiable hatred with unjustifiable executions, and fermenting violence, only to beget more violence ... The "ENEMY" of Iran is now wearing the cloak of the judiciary ...

Here's her letter:

My prison time has entered the third year; that is three years of suffering behind Evin bars, two years of which i spent in confusion, without a lawyer and without even a charge communicated. In those days of confusion, i spent bitter days in the hands of the IRGC and then interrogations of the 209 ward began. After the 209 interrogations, I was sent to the common women ward, where my frequent requests for a decision on my case were ignored until I was handed in an unjust death sentence.

Why have I been imprisoned; and why should I be executed? Is it because I am a Kurd? Then I tell you: I was born Kurd; and because of being Kurd I have suffered deprivation.

My language is Kurdish, a language with which I have grown up and formed bounds to my family, friends and acquaintances. But I am not permitted to speak my language, to read it, to be educated in it, not even to write it.

They tell me deny my Kurdish heritage, but if I do that I have denied my existence.

Honorable Judge, Mister interrogator!!

When you interrogated me, I could not even understand your language. I have learned Persian from friends in the two years I have been in jail. You interrogated and prosecuted me in your own language, when I didn't know what is happening and could not defend myself.

The tortures you did have become my nightmares; and my days are spent with the pains of torture. The blows to my head have damaged my skull. Some days, an unbearable headache attacks; they are so sever that I lose consciousness; become disoriented for hours and at the end when the pain becomes unbearable my nose bleeds until i slowly recover.

The other gift of [the interrogators] is weakness of my vision, which is worsening by day; and my request for glasses is still unanswered. When I walked into the prison, my hair was all black and now after three years they are turning gray.

I know you have not done this just to me and my family; but to all Kurdish children like Zeynab Jalalian, Rounak Saffarzadeh and .... The Kurd mothers' eyes are wet in desire of seeing their children again; they are constantly worried about what is to come; each telephone ring is the omen of their child's execution.

Today, (2-May-2010) after a long while I was taken for interrogation to 209; the baseless accusations repeated, and I was asked to cooperate to get my death sentence reduced. I don't know what cooperation means when I have no more information than I have already given them. They asked me to repeat what I had said before; which I didn't. The interrogator told me that they wanted to release me last year but because my family didn't cooperate my case has come this far. The interrogator himself confessed that I am just a ransom; kept until they get what they want or executed, but freedom, never.

Serkeftin [Victory]
Shirin Alam Hooli
3-5-2010

P.S. Here's an earlier letter of her description of prison treatment.

P. P. S: A Kurdish song by Mohsen Namjoo; entitled Shirin. Shirin in Persian means sweet; Shirin is the "Juliet" of Persian stories; she is the beloved of all: the lover of Cyrus for whom Farhad carved the mountain ... Bistoon ... the mounyain of love in Iran's Kurdistan ... the hanging of this woman is eating me up ... 

Farzad Kamangar and four other political prisoners executed at Evin prison today

Committee of Human Rights Reporters - Farzad Kamangar, Ali Heydarian, Farhad Vakili, Shirin Alam Hooli and Mehdi Islamian were executed this morning, Sunday May 9, 2010.

According to Fars News Agency, as announced by Tehran’s Prosecutor General, the [Iranian citizens] were executed at dawn today.

Minutes after the announcement was made, Farzad Kamangar’s lawyer Khalil Bahramian stated that he has no information regarding the executions and he will be visiting the Prosecutor’s office today to receive more information.

Farzad Kamangar was a Kurdish teacher arrested in 2007. During his months of incarceration, he was exposed to extreme mental and physical torture which he describes in a letter.

He was sentenced to death in February 2008. In a letter written to the head of the judiciary on February 4, 2010, Kamangar requested a retrial.

Mehdi Islamian was arrested on May 4, 2009 and spent six months in solitary confinement. His brother has also been executed.

Shirin Alam Hooli was arrested May 2008 in Tehran and sentenced to death in November 2009.

Ali Heydarian, Farhad Vakili, and Farzad Kamangar were imprisoned since 2006/2007.

Iran Hangs Five, Including A Teacher

Iran today executed five prisoners over their alleged "involvement in bomb attacks and links to terrorist groups." At least four of them were members of Iran's Kurdish minority.

IRNA said three of them were founders of the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) in Iran and were also involved in bombings that killed members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, an elite force that is separate from Iran's regular armed forces.

Shirin Alam Hooli

The five -- Farzad Kamangar, Shirin Alam Hooli, Farzad Vakili, Ali Heydarian, and Mehdi Eslamian -- were hanged on the morning of May 9 in Tehran's Evin Prison.

"Kamangar, Heydarian, and Vakili started their armed activities to overthrow the Islamic establishment in 2003 by creating the PJAK group in Iran," IRNA said, quoting their indictment. "Four of them were also involved in a deadly mosque bombing (in the central city of Shiraz) in 2008."

The International Campaign for Human Rights said on May 7 that Alam Hooli had come under pressure in prison to make a televised confession but she had refused to do so.

Alam Hooli, 28, described in a letter issued in February how she had been physically and mentally tortured in prison. Here is a link to the letter that we posted on Persian Letters.

Farzad Kamangar's mother -- read report by rahe sabz

Kamangar, a 32-year-old teacher and social worker, was according to his lawyer sentenced to death "on absolutely zero evidence." Here is a link to a letter Kamangar also wrote from prison.

Kamangar's brother told RFE/RL's Radio Farda today that authorities had not informed the family nor his lawyer about his execution. He said Farzad Kamangar made a telephone call to his family on the afternoon of May 8 and he also didn't seem to know that he would be executed.

Kamangar's brother rejected the charges against Farzad and said he never cooperated with PJAK. He said Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is responsible for the death of his brother. His execution has led to outrage among activists and intellectuals who campaigned on his behalf.

The executions come ahead of the anniversary of last year's disputed June 12 election. They seem to be aimed at intimidating the opposition, which is planning to launch fresh street protests.

Iran has one of the highest rates of execution in the world. On May 8, Iranian news agencies reported that six drug traffickers were hanged in the Ghezel Hessar prison.