April 14, 2026 05:42 pm (IST)
Follow us:
UN urges Iran to halt execution of two Ahwazi Arabs
New York, May 22 (IBNS): UN human rights experts on Wednesday appealed to Iranian authorities to halt the scheduled execution of two members of Iran's Ahwazi Arab minority after their death sentences were reportedly upheld by the Iranian Supreme Court.
Ali Chebeishat and Sayed Khaled Mousavi, who were arrested in November 2012 and sentenced to death on charges of Moharebeh (enmity against God) by a Revolutionary Court in September 2013, according to the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
“The accused were convicted either primarily or solely on the basis of a televised ‘confession’ which appeared on Iranian State TV in June 2013,” OHCHR quoted the human rights experts as saying, and were apparently not allowed legal representation of their own choosing and were later denied regular access to their court-appointed lawyer.
Reported footage showing Ali Chebeishat and Sayed Khaled Mousavi “confessing” to their role in an explosion of a natural gas pipeline was aired on Iran’s State-controlled television.
“The timing of the video release, as well as its content, beg serious questions about its legitimacy as evidence in the conviction and sentencing of these men to the most serious and irreversible fate possible,” the OHCHR press release said.
Just last month, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, said he regretted the spike in executions this year in Iran and renewed his call to the Government to immediately halt them. Over 170 persons including at least two women have been executed since the beginning of 2014 and a large number of prisoners on death row risk imminent execution.
In addition to Shaheed, the experts involved in Wednesday’s appeal are: the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns; Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Rita Izsák; and the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Gabriela Knaul; and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
Independent experts or special rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to monitor, report and advise on human rights issues. The experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any Government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
In issuing the appeal on the eve of the reported executions of the two men, OHCHR says both Ali Chebeishat and Sayed Khaled Mousavi have reportedly been subjected to severe mistreatment and beatings, possibly amounting to torture.
The two men have now been held incommunicado for over two months, and neither their lawyer nor family members have been able to obtain official information regarding their current whereabouts or the status of their cases, says OHCHR.
“First and foremost, the Iranian authorities must stop the executions and the accused should be permitted a new, fair trial,” the press release says. “The authorities must also cease any and all retribution against family members for allegedly speaking with international organizations, including the United Nations.”
“The Iranian authorities must promptly inform Messrs. Chebeishat and Mousavi’s families of their whereabouts, and allow their families and their lawyers’ access to details regarding the status of their cases, in accordance with both international and Iranian law,” it said.
(Credit: OHCHR)
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Latest Headlines
Iran Embassy in Australia drops stunning video of Tehran’s Iran Mall amid Middle East crisis
Tue, Apr 14 2026
Kim Jong Un watches as North Korea fires cruise, anti-ship missiles from naval destroyer
Tue, Apr 14 2026
Deal blows up: Netanyahu-Vance call triggers US-Iran blame war
Mon, Apr 13 2026
No port in Middle East will be safe: Iran issues chilling warning after US blockade announcement
Mon, Apr 13 2026
After 40-day closure, Abu Dhabi’s BAPS Temple set to reopen — What devotees need to do?
Mon, Apr 13 2026
From 18 to 87: Over 500 arrested in London for backing banned group
Sun, Apr 12 2026
'Untrackable' mines block Hormuz: Iran faces challenge in reopening strategic waterway
Sat, Apr 11 2026
UK horror: Man drowns during Baptism ceremony, pastor faces charges
Fri, Apr 10 2026