Sherko Moarefi (1980–November 4, 2013) was a

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish languages *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern Kurdistan **Eastern Kurdistan **Northern Kurdistan **Western Kurdistan See also * Kurd (dis ...

activist and political prisoner who was executed in Saghez prison in Iran. Moarefi was arrested by Iranian authorities in 2008, convicted on two political charges, and executed in 2013.

Sentence and execution

Moarefi was a Kurdish activist from

Baneh Baneh ( fa, بانه, Bāneh, ku, بانە, translit=Bane) is a city and capital of Baneh County, Kurdistan Province, in Iran's western border. Baneh is bordered by Saqqez to the east, Marivan to the south, Sardasht to the west, and is approxim ...

in northwestern Iran.Saeed Kamali Dehghan
Kurdish activist Sherko Moarefi facing execution in Iran
''The Guardian'' (May 1, 2011). He was arrested in October 2008 on charges on membership in

Komalah Komala may refer to: * Komala (Pokémon), a Gen VII Normal-type ''Pokémon'' species introduced in ''Pokémon Sun and Moon'' * Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, a Kurdish political party led by Abdullah Mohtadi * Komalah (CPI), a Kurdish political ...

, a left-wing Kurdish opposition party that is banned by Iran. Moarefi was convicted by an Iran court and

sentenced to death Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

on vague charges of ''

moharebeh In Islamic law, ''hirabah'' is a legal category that comprises highway robbery (traditionally understood as aggravated robbery or grand larceny, unlike theft, which has a different punishment), rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually ...

'' ("waging war against God") and "acting against the national security," offenses frequently used by Iranian authorities against political dissidents.

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

and

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...

unsuccessfully called for Iran to commute Moarefi's sentence. In a request for clemency for their son, Moarefi's parents wrote:

That is why we, as those close to Shirkooh Moarefi, are asking all international and human rights bodies to while defending the primary and elementary rights of a political prisoner, start negotiating with the Islamic Republic government on the matter of Shirkooh’s execution and convince the officials of this government that claim to be religious for this not to happen. We, members of Moarefi Family, believe that if Shirkooh has done acts that are crimes against Islamic Republic laws, the same Islamic Laws should be considered to give an opportunity for him to live again. And last but not least, capital punishment, based on the Islamic punishment laws in Iran, is the most severe punishment by the judiciary, but kindness is also one of the most prominent characteristics of all God’s religions, especially Islam. We expect the youth of this land to be judged by the same kindness. Is this too much to ask for by an old father and a heart-broken mother?

In 2011, one of Moarefi's lawyers stated that his conviction had been upheld by the

Supreme Court of Iran The Supreme Court of Iran is the highest juridical authority in Iran, established to supervise the correct implementation of laws by courts of justice and consisting of the most prominent judges of the country. The head of the judiciary assigns cr ...

and that he was in danger of execution at any time. Nither Moarefi nor his lawyers received advance warning of his execution. He was

executed by hanging Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging in ...

on November 4, 2013.Executed Prisoner Did Not Know He Would Be Hanged Until He Saw the Gallows

International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran The Center for Human Rights in Iran (formerly the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran; ICHRI) is an American non-government organization that aims to promote human rights in Iran. The group started in late 2007 when several human right ...

(November 6, 2013).

References

1980 births 2013 deaths Iranian Kurdish people Iranian activists Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan politicians People from Baneh {{Iran-bio-stub Executed Iranian people Executed Kurdish people People executed by Iran by hanging