Interactive Dialoge with the Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers (Item 3)
Sudwind would like to thank both Special Rapporteurs and address Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers. Madam special Rapporteur, from the 84 alleged letters and urgent appeals 3 of them were joint communications with other Special Rapporteurs which were sent to the Islamic Republic of Iran. The last urgent appeal you send on 21st May 2014 to the Government of Iran urged the Iranian authorities to halt the scheduled execution of two Iranian Arab farmers and cultural rights activists. On Friday when this statement was to be read, the families of the two, namely, Ali Chebeishat and Sayed Khaled Mousavi were informed that they have been executed. Both men have reportedly been subjected to severe mistreatment and beatings, possibly amounting to torture. Madam Knaul, this was the answer to your urgent appeal. We are concerned about 4 Sunni prisoners who had their final visit with their families and then transferred from their prison cells. The 4 are sentenced to death. As in your report, the term judicial accountability is used for the accountability of the three main operators in the justice system “judges, prosecutors and lawyers.” The sentence for many prisoners of conscience in the Islamic Republic of Iran is passed by the interrogator and the judges only approve of that ruling. In many cases, the interrogators advise the defendants to refuse an attorney, which in that case there will be a reduction in their sentence. Otherwise, they emphasis their sentence will be harsher. Madam SR, Your colleagues Abdolfatah Soltani, Mohammad Seifzadeh, Mostafa Daneshjou, Farshid Yadollahi, Omid Behruzi and Amir Eslami along with some other colleagues are still in prison because they have defended prisoners of conscience. Even thought the Islamic Republic of Iran has a standing invitation since 2002, no Special Rapporteur has been permitted to visit the country since 2005 including Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Still Madam Knaul we believe it is necessary that you as the Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and lawyers send your request for an official visits to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and insist until they approve of your visit.
