3 Afghan nationals sentenced to death in Iran over alleged protest role

Three Afghan nationals have been sentenced to death in Iran’s Isfahan province over their alleged involvement in protests last winter, Iranian rights group Hengaw said Thursday, adding that the men were accused of taking part in the burning of a police station. Hengaw identified the men as Afshar Shah-Ahmadi, Iman Shafaei and Sadruddin Ahmadzadeh, all of whom it said had been living in Isfahan. According to the rights group, Shah-Ahmadi and Shafaei had been living in Iran with their families, while Ahmadzadeh had travelled to the country for work. Hengaw said the three men were detained for 40 days at a facility operated by Iran’s Intelligence Ministry. The group alleged that they were held incommunicado and denied contact with their families and the outside world during their detention. The group did not identify the court that allegedly issued the death sentences or provide the dates of the verdicts. It also did not disclose details of the men’s trials, the evidence presented against them or whether they had access to legal representation. The claims could not be independently verified, and Iranian authorities had not publicly commented on the reported sentences. The report came six days after Hengaw said another Afghan national, Gol Mohammad Mohammadi, had been secretly executed in Isfahan over alleged involvement in protests in Iran last winter. The reported cases come amid broader concerns from rights groups over the use of the death penalty in Iran in cases involving protests and other serious criminal charges. The specific circumstances of the three reported death sentences, including the court proceedings and the evidence against the men, remain unclear. The post 3 Afghan nationals sentenced to death in Iran over alleged protest role appeared first on Khaama Press.