Amnesty describes execution of Behrouz Alkhani as vicious act of cruelty

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NCRI - Amnesty International has condemned the execution on Wednesday of Iranian Kurdish dissident Behrouz Alkhani in a prison in the city of Orumiuh, western Iran.

Mr. Alkhani, 30, from Iran’s Kurdish minority, was executed early this morning local time despite the fact that he was awaiting the outcome of an appeal by the regime's Supreme Court.

"The organization has also learned that the authorities have so far refused to return Behrouz Alkhani’s body to his family," Amnesty International said.

“Today's execution of Behrouz Alkhani, who was still waiting for the outcome of a Supreme Court appeal against his sentence, is a vicious act of cruelty by the Iranian authorities and a denigration of both Iranian and international law. It is appalling that they have imposed further pain and suffering on Behrouz Alkhani’s family by refusing to return his body for burial," said Said Boumedouha, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.

“The fact that the authorities have carried out the execution despite the pending appeal against a sentence imposed in a grossly unfair trial and international pleas to halt the execution, shows their utter disregard for justice. His execution is just further proof of the authorities' determined resolve to continue with a relentless wave of executions which has seen more than 700 put to death in Iran so far this year."