Urgent Appeal for Addressing the Situation of Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri, a Kurdish Political Prisoner in Iran

To:
Ms. Mai Sato, UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran
Ms. Sara Hossain, Chairperson of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran

Ms. Sato and Ms. Hossain,

I, Zhino Beigzadeh Babamiri, am the daughter of Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri, a Kurdish political prisoner in Iran. I am writing this letter to urgently draw your attention to my father’s critical condition and the gross violations of his human rights.

My father, a simple farmer and an ordinary citizen from the town of Bukan in Iranian Kurdistan, was arrested on completely baseless charges during the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement. He has been detained, tortured, and is at risk of being sentenced to death solely for his humanitarian assistance to injured protesters during the brutal crackdown on protests in Kurdish cities.

Arbitrary Arrest and Enforced Disappearance

During the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, Kurdish cities were subjected to brutal attacks and violent suppression by government forces. Security forces violently crushed the peaceful protests of citizens. In this critical situation, injured protesters avoided hospitals out of fear of arrest by security forces. In response to this crisis, ordinary citizens like my father took humanitarian actions to provide medical supplies and essential aid to the wounded. My father’s actions were purely voluntary, motivated by compassion and inherent human dignity.

In line with the intensified wave of mass arrests and abductions, my father was forcibly disappeared by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence on April 15, 2023. For more than four months, our family had no information about his whereabouts. Despite our repeated attempts to locate him through judicial and security authorities, no information was provided. After four months of enforced disappearance, we learned that my father was being held in a secret security detention center of the Ministry of Intelligence in the city of Orumiyeh.

Torture and Forced Confessions

During his detention, my father has been subjected to severe physical and psychological torture to coerce confessions dictated by security interrogators. As a result of the torture, he lost hearing in one of his ears. My father filed a complaint against the Ministry of Intelligence interrogators for torture with the Judicial Organization of the Armed Forces in Orumiyeh and requested a medical examination by the Forensic Medicine Organization. However, his complaint and request were denied (Case No.: 140335390007386765/29.09.1403).

Baseless Charges and Unlawful Evidence Procurement

Following his enforced disappearance and illegal detention, my father faced severe charges during the preliminary investigation at the Orumiyeh Prosecutor’s Office, including “armed rebellion, espionage, and murder.” These charges, if proven, could result in the death penalty under the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Penal Code. I strongly assert that these accusations are fabricated, a standard practice by the Iranian security apparatus.

Violation of Fair Trial Standards and Defendant’s Rights

1. Violation of Article 32 of Iran’s Constitution: My father was abducted, not arrested, in complete disregard of fundamental requirements for detaining an individual.
2. Violation of Article 38 of Iran’s Constitution and Articles 60 and 195 of the Code of Criminal Procedure: Torture in any form is strictly prohibited, even under Iranian domestic law, and confessions obtained under torture are inadmissible.
3. Violation of Articles 35, 48, and 52 of the Code of Criminal Procedure: From the outset of his arrest, my father was denied access to independent legal counsel and was not informed of his rights as a detainee.
4. Violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: As a state party to the ICCPR, the Islamic Republic of Iran has violated its international obligations regarding fair trials, freedom from torture, and prohibition of arbitrary detention.

The Islamic Republic of Iran lacks judicial oversight mechanisms to address human rights violations. Its legal framework does not include a Constitutional Court, an Ombudsman for human rights, or a national human rights institution in compliance with the UN Paris Principles (1993). Revolutionary Courts, such as the Orumiyeh court, are among the world’s most notorious for disregarding human dignity and universal human rights standards.

Given the imminent risk of a death sentence for my father, I urgently call on you to take the following actions:

Immediate and unconditional intervention to halt any judicial processes or execution orders against my father.

• Independent and impartial investigation into allegations of torture and forced confessions.
  Facilitation of access to independent legal counsel and a fair trial in compliance with international human rights standards.
  Provision of immediate healthcare services and an independent medical examination to document evidence of physical torture.

I emphasize that humanitarian assistance to injured civilians is not a criminal act in any legal system worldwide. The ongoing detention and imprisonment of my father for helping victims of the violent suppression of the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement is a blatant display of injustice and gross violations of human rights and humanitarian principles in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

I urge you to prioritize my father’s critical situation and pressure the Iranian government to secure his release.

Sincerely,
Zhino Beigzadeh Babamiri
Oslo, December 21, 2024