The Execution of a Kurdish Prisoner in Mahabad

Paris, 29 January 2002

The Regime of Islamic Republic that has expanded the scope of oppressing its opponents, and in its own fanciful dreams wants in this way and by intimidating the freedom-loving people of Iran add a few more days to the existence of its inhumane authority, executed the death sentence of Karim TOUJALI, an ex-member of Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) on Thursday morning, 24 January 2002 in the backyard of intelligence building of Mahabad.

Mr. TOUJALI who had become a member of PDKI in 1982, remained active among the PDKI’s ranks, until he withdrew his status as an active party member, and headed to Turkey to seek refuge in a third country.  After two years of waiting for the acceptance of his claim as a refugee from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), he was captured by Turkish police in 1998, and handed him over to the intelligence officials of Islamic Republic of Iran contrary to all international measures and agreements.

It is worthy to note that this is not the first time that the Turkish government has taken anti-humane measures to hand over the freedom lovers of our country to the regime of Islamic Republic, which has led to their imprisonment or execution by this criminal regime.

We, along with condemning this criminal act, warn all public opinions, and organizations defending human rights that based on some reliable sources the execution of Karim TOUJALI is the beginning of another wave of executing Iranian Kurdish freedom activists who have been held captives in the prisons of the regime, and their death verdicts have been issued from its unlawful courts.

Below, we enclose the names of those honourable captives in the dungeons of the regime of Islamic Republic that the danger of death threatens every moment of their lives; furthermore, along with reciting their place of imprisonment, we call upon all the international organizations and institutions defending human rights, particularly UNHRC and Amnesty International that along with condemning this criminal act of executing Karim TOUJALI, to take action immediately with adopting necessary measures to save the lives of other prisoners.  We also call upon the UNHCR to arrive at more deliberate and conscious conclusions on the faith of thousands of Iranian refugees that have fled the atrocities of the regime ruling their homeland, and are anxious in Turkey to reach a safe haven.  At the end, being indifferent to the faith of these defenseless people, and their deportation to the criminal regime of Islamic Republic of Iran, in essence only entails their arrival at the torture houses, prisons, and hanging sites. 

These are the names of prisoners that the danger of execution threatens their lives:

The Committee of Union of Action for Democracy in Iran

Composed of:

-Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan

-Revolutionary Workers Organization of Iran

-Organization of Union of Devotees of the People of Iran