Over the past few days, there have been reports of the Iranian Judiciary’s orders for carrying out the prisoner of conscience, Jafar Kazemi’s death sentence. His lawyer Nasim Ghanavi, talked about her reactions to the news with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. “I have not been served any ruling documents, and I have no new information about this,” said Nasim Ghanavi. Jafar Kazemi, 46, a lithographer of textbooks at Amir Kabir University Press, was arrested on September 18, 2009 in Tehran. He was transferred to a solitary cell inside Ward 209 of Evin prison where he remained for 74 days before being transferred to Ward 350 of Evin prison. Previously, Jafar Kazemi had served time in prison from 1981 to 1989. Jafar Kazemi’s wife, Roudabeh Akbari, wrote a letter to the Secretary General of the United Nations, asking for his assistance to stop her husband’s death sentence. Previously, Kazemi’s lawyer, Nasim Ghanavi, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, that her client, Jafar Kazemi’s death sentence had been upheld at an appeals court, and her request for a retrial had been rejected by Branch 31 of the Supreme Court. The death sentence ruling has been confirmed by Branch 36 of Tehran Appeals Courts, presided by Judge Zarger. “Jafar Kazemi is accused of moharebeh, enmity with God, through his alleged support for the Mojahedin-E Khalgh Organization (MEK), even though he has not accepted these charges during any of his interrogation sessions…The charge of moharebeh, enmity with God, is one of those charges which must only be levied against a suspect with full consideration for conditions defined in Islamic jurisprudence for it, including the requirement of “armed action.” Many Shiite scholars believe that a mohareb is an individual who takes up arms. This was not the case for my client. He merely participated in the post-election gatherings. He may have chanted some slogans, but as his lawyer, I am convinced that the charge of moharebeh does not apply to him at all,” Ghanavi had previously said about her client’s charges. “Unfortunately, our defense was ignored in the lower court, in the appeals court, and at the Supreme Court. They all confirmed the moharebeh charge against him,” said Nasim Ghanavi about the defense presented in court. According to Jafar Kazemi’s lawyer, the case has been forward to the Sentence Implementation Unit, and there are no more legal steps for saving Jafar Kazemi’s life at present time.
