Secretary-General
The United Nations
1 United Nations Plaza
New York, New York 10017-3515
17 May, 2011
Dear Mr Secretary General,
Southern Azerbaijani (North Western Provicences of Iran) cities of Urmia, Salmas, Qoshachay (Miyandoab) and Karaj are experiencing a sharp rise in number of executions - some in public - in recent months. Islamic Republic of Iran is still violating the very basic rights of her subjects such as right to life. Those who are being executed have been tried in substandard courts, based upon confessions extracted under torture without observing their rights to put up a proper legal defence, to the extent that one can question whether they have ever committed any crime. No doubt abject poverty, instutionalised violence along with religious dictatorship in Iran is the major cause of criminality among certain section of the society. Although physical extermination of criminal elements failed to stop rising number of crimes in the last 30 years, it is still being pursued by Islamic Republic of Iran.
Execution in public or in mass is being used as a mean to deter people from exercising their rights to demand freedom and justice. As we are approaching 22nd of may, anniversary of uprising of Azerbaijani Turks in 2006, against forcible Persianisation policy of Iranian regime, in order to counter call by Azerbaijani Political groups for a peaceful demonstration, Iranian regime once again has resorted to executing prisoners to frighten people from taking part in protest. Amnesty International in its latest annual report has pinpointed this common practice by Islamic Republic of Iran.
We urge you to raise this issue with Iranian officials to comply with universal declaration of human rights to ban execution and torture , allow peaceful demonstration of her subjects to express their legitimate demands of lifting the ban on Azerbaijani language and culture.
Yours sincerely,
Direnc Minelli
Chairman of South Azerbaijan Human Rights Watch
CC: United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.