BDP launched a signature campaign for Kurdish political prisoners Hebibullah Letifi, Rustem Arkiya, Zeyneb Celaliyan, Enwer Rustemi, Seyd Sami Huseyni, Seyd Cemal Muhammedi, Hüseyin Xizri, Hebibullah Gulperipur, Þerko Maarfi, Mustafa Selimi Eyluyi, Muhammed Emin Aguþi, Reþîd Axkendî, Ahmed Puladxanî , Hasan Talî, Îrec Mihemedi, Muhammed Emin Abdullahi, Qadir Muhammedzade and Eziz Muhammedzade, who are condemned to death in Iran. A number of international human rights institutions, International Amnesty in particular, documented that Kurdish political prisoners, who were condemned to death with the allegation of being PJAK members and hence “battling” (opposing God), were exposed to torture during the imprisonment process, not tried under legal circumstances as they had no right for self-defense at the court and most of them weren’t even given the right to hire a lawyer.

The statement of the signature campaign was as follows; “Some of the people in question, law school students Hebibullah Letifi and Hüseyin Xezri for instance, faced this accusation due to their civil political acts, only. 8 family members of Hebibullah Letifi, whose execution was declared for 26 December Sunday but later suspended to an undetermined date, were detained arbitrarily during the home raid on 26 December at evening hours.  Considering that the executions of prisoners in similar cases were carried out secretly, the arbitrary detentions in question create anxiety about the possibility of executions of Hebibullah Letifi and other Kurdish political prisoners in the near future.  Having signed below, we, as individuals wishing a free and humanely life for all peoples in this geography, condemn the executions of people due to their political opinions and demand the immediate withdrawal of the executions and the liberation of relatives of prisoners detained arbitrarily”. The signatures collected in this campaign will be given to Iran Embassy by BDP.

Translation: Berna Ozgencil