H. B.

News of the execution of Mr. H. B. a resident of Bojnord, along with four others, was published on the websites of IRNA (Islamic Republic News Agency) and Semnan Courthouse on December 26, 2011, quoting the Public Relations Office of Semnan Courthouse. Arrest and Detention There is no specific information on the defendant s arrest and detention. Trial This trial took place in the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Shahrud. No further information is available on this trail. Charges The charges against Mr. H. B. were announced as "transportation and possession of narcotics." The validity of the criminal charges brought against this defendant cannot be ascertained in the absence of the basic guarantees of a fair trial. International human rights organizations have drawn attention to reports indicating that Islamic Republic authorities have brought trumped-up charges against their political opponents and executed them for alleged drug trafficking, sexual, and other criminal offences. Thousands of alleged drug traffickers have been sentenced to death following judicial processes that fail to meet international standards. Scores of them were executed based on a 1989 law imposing mandatory death sentences on drug traffickers found in possession of specified amounts of proscribed narcotics (5 kg of hashish or opium, and more than 30 grams of heroin, codeine or methadone). The exact number of people convicted based on trumped-up charges is unknown. Evidence of Guilt The report of this execution did not provide any specific information on the evidence presented against the defendant. Defence No information is available on the defendant's defence. Judgment The court condemned Mr. H. B. to death and the ruling was confirmed by the General Public Prosecutor s Office. The defendant s pardon request was denied by the Central Pardon Committee and he was hanged in Shahrud prison on December 26, 2011.