Farzad Kamangar
Farzad Kamangar | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1978 |
| Died | May 9, 2010 |
| Cause of death | Execution |
| Nationality | Iranian |
| Occupation(s) | Teacher, poet, journalist, human rights activist and social worker |
| Website | FARZAD KAMANGAR |
Farzad Kamangar (Kurdish: Ferzad Kemanger or فهرزاد كهمانگهر ; Template:Lang-fa) (c. 1978 – May 9, 2010) was a 32-year-old Iranian Kurdish teacher, poet, journalist, human rights activist and social worker from the city of Kamyaran, Iran who was executed on May 9, 2010.[1][2][3]
The Accusations and the Courts
Kamangar was prosecuted on charges of Mohareb "enmity towards God". An Islamic Revolutionary Court sentenced Kamangar to death on February 25, 2008 on charges against national security including being a member of PJAK and accusations of active participation in several bombing attacks among which was the 2006 explosion in the Iran-Turkey gas export pipeline.[4] According to his lawyer, Khalil Bahramian, “Nothing in Kamangar’s judicial files and records demonstrates any links to the charges brought against him.”[3]
Bahramian, the lawyer, who was present during the closed-door court hearing, described it as
“Lasting no more than five minutes, with the Judge issuing his sentence without any explanation and then promptly leaving the room. ... I have seen absolutely zero evidence presented against Kamangar. In my forty years in the legal profession, I have never witnessed such a prosecution.”
For this denial, Kamangar was repeatedly tortured. Amnesty International reports that Kamangar was repeatedly beaten, flogged, and electrocuted, and that he suffered from spasms in his arms and legs as a result of the torture.[5][6]
The Supreme Court officially confirmed Kamangar's death sentence on July 11, 2008.[7]
Kamangar was one of the six political prisoners highlighted in the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran's September 18, 2008 document "Rights Crisis Escalates, Faces and Cases from Ahmadinejad's Crackdown"[7]
Kamangar participated in the hunger strike to protest the execution of Ehsan Fatahian.[8]
Human Rights Organizations' Reaction
Amnesty International, Education International, and other teachers'[9][10] and human rights organizations[11][12] have called for Mr. Kamangar's sentence to be commuted.[5][13][14][15][16]
Kamangar's Notes
Kamangar in a piece describes his time at the prison as follows:
"...I spent close to a month in solitary isolation, at the end of the first floor, in section 113 [of the prison]. It had a horrible stench. During this period I was not allowed to have visits nor telephone calls with any member of my family. During the 3 months of solitary confinement I was not allowed to go out in the free air. After enduring these months they moved me to a bigger cell, cell number 10, a cell intended for several persons, and I spent close to two months there. Still I was not allowed to have any contact with a lawyer or my family...."
A part of Kamangar's letter "Be Strong Comrades":
"Is it possible to carry the heavy burden of being a teacher and be responsible for spreading the seeds of knowledge and still be silent? Is it possible to see the lumps in the throats of the students and witness their thin and malnourished faces and keep quiet? Is it possible to be in the year of no justice and fairness and fail to teach the H for Hope and E for Equality, even if such teachings land you in Evin prison or result in your death?"[16]
a quote from Farzad's letter to his students:
"Boys of the land of the sun, I know you cannot sit, sing, and laugh with your classmates anymore, because after the tragedy of becoming a man, you have to face the grief of having to “earn bread”. But Remember to not turn your backs on your poems, your songs, your Leyla’s and your dreams. Teach your children to be offspring of “poems and rain” of their land; for the present and tomorrow. I leave you to the wind and sunshine so that, in the near future, you will sing lessons of love and sincerity to our motherland.
Your childhood friend, playmate, and teacher"[17]
See also
References
- ^ THE WORDS OF FARZAD KAMANGER
- ^ FARZAD KAMANGAR and 4 Other political prisoners EXECUTED!
- ^ a b ماهی کوچکی بر بالای دار؛ مقاله واشنگتن تايمز درباره اعدام فرزاد کمانگر Archived 2010-05-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ AFP, 9th May 2010: Iran hangs woman, four other 'enemies of God' Archived 2010-05-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Archived copy". Retrieved 2016-12-04.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b RIGHTS CRISIS ESCALATES, September 2008 Archived 2009-01-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Hassan, Sayeh. "Latest News from Sanandaj Prison and Ehsan Fatahiyan (November 10, 2009)". canadafreepress. Archived from the original on 2010-08-26.
- ^ The Independent Education Union of Australia
- ^ TUC: Imminent Execution of Farzad Kamangar
- ^ The International Federation of Journalists
- ^ The Labour Start Campaigns Archived 2016-05-08 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Stop the execution of teacher unionist Farzad Kamangar
- ^ Teacher Solidarity: Farzad Kamangar Executed
- ^ EI Outraged at Iranian Teacher’s Execution
- ^ a b "Teacher on Death Row Farzad Kamangar Writes New Letter: "Be Strong Comrades"". Persian2English. 27 April 2010.
- ^ "Farzad Kamangar's Letter to His Students, Written Two Years Ago from Prison". Persian2English. 10 May 2010.