#SaveSaman: A Final Effort to Save Iran's Saman Naseem from Execution
Image edited by Kevin Rothrock.
Activists around the world are rallying urgently to stop the Iranian government from executing 22-year-old Saman Naseem, who was arrested five years ago when he was still a teenager for being a member of an armed opposition group.
Iran is a signatory on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and human rights workers say Naseem's execution would violate its obligations under this treaty.
International law unequivocally bans the execution of juveniles #SaveSaman #Iran
— Tavaana (@Tavaana) February 18, 2015
Amnesty International has been leading a call to action to stop the execution scheduled for today, February 19. Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, explained:
That the Iranian authorities are preparing to put to death a young man who’s been tortured for 97 days to ‘confess’ when he was 17 years old beggars belief. ..Saman’s execution must be immediately stopped and his case thoroughly reviewed.
In a letter published by Amnesty, Naseem said the conditions of his incarceration have been severe:
During the first days, the level of torture was so severe that it left me unable to walk. All my body was black and blue. They hung me from my hands and feet for hours. I was blindfolded during the whole period of interrogations and torture, and could not see the interrogation and torture officers. They repeatedly told me that they had arrested my family members including my father, my mother, and my brother. They told me that they would kill me right there and would cover my grave with cement. When I wanted to sleep during nights, they would not let me rest by making noises using different devices, including by constantly banging on the door. I was in a state between madness and consciousness. I could not have any contact with my family during this time. During the trial, even the presiding judge threatened me with more beatings a number of times and my lawyers were removed under pressure.
A social media campaign using the hashtag #SaveSaman is underway to tag Iranian officials in pleas to halt to Naseem's execution. Many Twitter users have been tagging @khamenei_ir, the account of Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader.
Iran: Halt Saman Naseem’s execution & end #DeathPenalty for juveniles! #SaveSaman http://t.co/V9jlKlMnqv @khamenei_ir — Tori (@ETori) February 18, 2015
Beaten for hours on Sunday to force a ‘confession’. Ask @khamenei_ir to #SaveSaman before his execution in two days pic.twitter.com/VYTd6wGVuL
— AmnestyInternational (@AmnestyOnline) February 17, 2015
5 comments
Not surprising coming from a nation that brutally suppress peaceful protesters, torture and kill political prisoners, persecute religious minorities, ship arms to terrorist groups, and prop up the genocidal regime of Bashar Assad in Syria, Obama clings to the notion that Iran can be trusted to
abandon its nuclear weapons program if we just concoct the right words on paper in Geneva. How can any agreement be enforceable when seen against the backdrop of Iran’s brazen commitment to such reprehensible regimes. This is just another warning that the greatest indicator of Iran’s future intent is on its present and past conduct.