Issuance of a death sentence and imminent risk of its execution for a Baloch political-religious prisoner in Vakilabad Prison, Mashhad

According to Hale Vash, today, Wednesday, October 6, 1404, a Baloch political-religious prisoner who was arrested on December 9, 1401 by plainclothes forces affiliated with the IRGC Intelligence in Mashhad is in danger of imminent execution after the death sentence was issued and confirmed by the Supreme Court.

The prisoner has been identified as Hossein Shahuzhi, 29, son of Haidar and a native of Zahedan. He was arrested at the same time as another citizen, Yousef Mohammad Hassani, 25, son of Abdullah and a native of Mirjaveh, and no information is yet available about his condition or fate.

According to sources familiar with the situation, Hossein Shahuzhai was arrested by the IRGC's intelligence forces while riding a bus at the Mashhad terminal and was held in the institution's detention center for about six months under severe physical and mental torture. During this time, he was deprived of contact with his family and access to a lawyer.

Sources added: Security agencies have accused him of “carrying weapons,” “attempting to assassinate Ahmad Alam-ul-Huda, the Supreme Leader’s representative in Khorasan Razavi,” and “planning to attack the Mashhad governorate.” After a case was filed in the Mashhad Revolutionary Court, he was sentenced to death, and his appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court.

Earlier, state media had released a video of the forced confessions of these two Baloch citizens, accusing them of membership in the Jaish al-Adl group. Relatives of Hossein Shahuzhi denied the accusation and said that security forces had forced him to confess on camera by placing their hands on the Quran and had promised him his release; a promise that never came true.

Relatives of the prisoner, expressing concern about the possibility of the imminent execution of the sentence in the future, have called on human rights institutions and international organizations to intervene to immediately stop the sentence.

It is worth noting that in the course of this case, numerous principles of the Iranian Constitution and Code of Criminal Procedure have been violated, including Article 32 (prohibition of arbitrary detention), Article 38 (prohibition of torture and invalidity of forced confessions), and Article 39 (need to protect the dignity of detainees). Articles 196 and 168 of the Code of Criminal Procedure regarding the right of access to a lawyer and the openness of the court have also not been observed; cases that indicate a clear violation of the principles of fair trial.