Leader of the Islamic Republic

Email: info@leader.ir
istiftaa@wilayah.org

His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ´Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Shoahada Street, Qom
Islamic Republic of Iran


Concerning the scheduled execution of Ashraf Kolhari
and Delara Darabi

Your Excellency,

I am writing to express my grave concern over the scheduled executions of Ashraf Kolhari and Delara Darabi. Appealing to your concern for the Iranian people, I therefore urge you to immediately commute the death sentences for these two women.

In the case of Ashraf Kolhari, I wish to remind you that the UN Human Rights Committee has made clear that treating adultery and fornication as criminal offences does not comply with human rights standards. The sentence is therefore in breach of Iran's commitment under article 6(2) of the ICCPR, which stipulates that the death penalty may only be imposed for "the most serious crimes".

In the case of Delara Darabi, I also wish to remind you that Iran has an obligation under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights not to impose the death penalty "for crimes committed by persons below eighteen years of age". At the same time, I have also been concerned by reports that Delara Darabi confessed to the murder in order to protect her co-accused. These reports must be fully investigated.

Finally, I wish to express my unconditional opposition to the death penalty, as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and violation of the right to life. For this reason, I call on you to abolish all executions by stoning and other means in Iran as a positive step towards implementing international law and standards for the protection of human rights.

I thank you for your consideration of my concerns in this urgent matter.

Yours respectfully,


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Head of the Judiciary
Email: Please send emails via the feedback form on the Persian site of the website: http://www.iranjudiciary.org/contactus-feedback-fa.html

His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Ministry of Justice,
Park-e Shahr, Tehran,
Islamic Republic of Iran

Concerning the scheduled execution of Ashraf Kolhari
and Delara Darabi

Your Excellency,

I am writing to express my grave concern over the scheduled executions of Ashraf Kolhari and Delara Darabi. Appealing to your concern for the Iranian people, I therefore urge you to immediately commute the death sentences for these two women.

In the case of Ashraf Kolhari, I wish to remind you that the UN Human Rights Committee has made clear that treating adultery and fornication as criminal offences does not comply with human rights standards. The sentence is therefore in breach of Iran's commitment under article 6(2) of the ICCPR, which stipulates that the death penalty may only be imposed for "the most serious crimes".

In the case of Delara Darabi, I also wish to remind you that Iran has an obligation under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights not to impose the death penalty "for crimes committed by persons below eighteen years of age". At the same time, I have also been concerned by reports that Delara Darabi confessed to the murder in order to protect her co-accused. These reports must be fully investigated.

Finally, I wish to express my unconditional opposition to the death penalty, as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and violation of the right to life. For this reason, I call on you to abolish all executions by stoning and other means in Iran as a positive step towards implementing international law and standards for the protection of human rights.

I thank you for your consideration of my concerns in this urgent matter.

Yours respectfully,


COPIES TO:

President
His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Presidency,
Palestine Avenue,
Azerbaijan Intersection,
Tehran,
Islamic Republic of Iran

Fax: + 98 21 6 649 5880

Email: dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir
(Or via website) http://www.president.ir/email