Biography of Habibullah Latifi, from birth to death sentence

HRANA News Agency- The following is a brief biography and summery of Habibullah Latifi’s case; Habib Latifi is a political prisoner sentenced to death and held in Sanandaj prison. His brief biography told by his relatives and edited by Kurdistan Committee for Human Rights Activists in Iran this brief provided to inform the general public of his case.

Habibullah Latifi is the seventh child of Soghra and Abbas Latifi, born in Sanandaj March 21st 1981, the first seven years of his life with his family (during the Iran-Iraq war) spent as refugee in the village of Naysr -Sanandaj. 

During his childhood he was interested in sports and was talented in Soccer. Throughout his elementary, middle and high school years he played with several of Soccer teams including Sanandaj municipality team. However he was forced to leave soccer when he entered the university because playing with the team precondition was being member of the Basij, and since he refused to be with the Basiji despite his well he had to leave the club and say goodbye to the soccer. Habibullah who loves Kurdistan’s nature started mountain climbing and he conquered many of Kurdistan’s mountains.   

regardless of that Habibullah was born in a wealthy family, he always appeared humble person in the community. This outstanding student succeeded in graduating from pre-university mathematics and physics field in 2001 and he continued his education at Eylam University- industrial engineering on September 2002.   

Young Habibullah developed special interest in study and discussion of Iran’s political and social issues particularly in regard of Kurdistan. He’s was busy constantly with civic, cultural, environmental and political activities. He used to participate in political activities, and he earned an honorary Environmental Association “Zhyanh Wahe” and “Shaho” membership. 

At 7:40 PM on Oct 23rd 2007 while Habib was leaving a computer service shop he  was surrounded and arrested by 11 security service agents at Adab Street in Sanandaj, and never saw the sun light for the next four months. During his four months in solitary confinement he was under severe torture and interrogation by the security interrogators. On the ninth day of his arrest due to his kidneys’ bleeding he was transported to the social hospital in Sanandaj (the most remote hospital in the city) one of his close relatives saw him there by coincidence and described his critical condition as “little boy with protruding eyes and dark skin rupture lips, half-bent not capable of walking with three people holding his arms suffering to clime hospital stairs, and eight other uniformed and civilian cloth men escorting him “. Later it turned out that 5 to 6 people kicked and beaten him with batons to death. He wasn’t able to move for four weeks he could just crawl on his chest. His head was broken in three places and his lips were split for being kicked repeatedly. 
  
When Habibullah reported the torture to the case’s prosecutor judge Kamyany whom used to go to his cell once a while Kamyany denied any torture and accused Habib of false statements. 
 
At the same time Amjadi (the chief prosecutor of Sanandaj provinces) through a conversation he had with Habib from behind the cell door he promised Habib to help him escape with his friend Yaser Goli in exchange for confessing against Other friends and sending monthly reports about two people (who are not specified) when he faced Habib’s negative response he threaten Habib of death penalty.
After the interrogation process that was conducted by intelligence agents was over, he was transferred to a quarantine then to ward 2 of Sanandaj prison. Finally after four months his eyes saw the sunlight and he met with his family.
on July 1st- 2008 Habib was tried for few minutes without his family’s presence in the first  branch of Sanandaj Islamic Revolutionary Court by Judge Hassan Babaei, and charged with crime against the regime and national security, and based on verse 33 of the Maiedeh Sura from the (Quran) also based on the first, third, fifth and sixth chapter of the Mohareb (Enemy of God) cases of Volume IV written by Imam Khomeini and Articles 183, 186, 190, 191 Islamic Penal Code,  he was announced as  (the enemy of God) and was sentenced to death (a charge that he never accepted).  

  
Following the objection to the illegal based sentence on January 30th 2008 the appeal court confirmed this Kurdish student death penalty again. 

It is shameful that judge Babaei told him, “Your sentence is death anyway; so why you don’t take the responsibility of the crimes of other innocent defendants and help these cases to be closed too!”
It should be noted that on the eve of executions of political prisoners Ehsan Fattahian and when Hibib’s mother in protest against Ehsan’s execution joined the political prisoners’ hanger strike and threatened of self-immolation, Judge Hojat Alislam Babai threatened (Elaheh) Habib’s sister for interviewing with the foreign media of building a “fat” case and she was imprisoned. Prior to that (Omid) Habib’s brother who went to the court to follow up his brother’s case was beaten in public by Hamzei the head of Sanandaj court security guards personally and detained for half a day.
During detention, Habib’s disease bronchitis (lung infection) which he suffered from through his childhood relapse again plus his stomach and teeth infections which it was a result of lack of hygiene and air beside the food quality of the Sanandaj intelligent detention center to add to the torture and psychological pressure he went through.
Despite the repeated requests from Habib and his family and attorney the authorities did not allow any medical treatment but once which he was taken to Sanandaj Towhid hospital for ultrasound, then they announced that the ultrasound result was missing. Masoud Mehraban (former head of security of Sanandaj detention center) and Mohammad Khosravi (Head of Sanandaj prison) used to put more pressure and harass him in different ways, including banning Habib’s phone calls and withdraw his relatives visits  without any reason.
When the case was referred to the Supreme Court on April 5th 2009 for the last review of this illegal based case it was rejected after one week by the authorities reasoning that currently the Supreme Court Amnesty Commission is denying the review of the case.
Following 10 months of secrecy of the system about this case last week Habib’s attorney Doctor Saleh Nikbakht was informed verbally and the execution of the sentence was revealed, considering Eskandari the head of Sanandaj Revolutionary Court verdict execution whom announced that there is no guarantee to not execute the verdict the death penalty became strong possibility. 

The chance of abolition of the death penalty of Habib is unlikely, and he may be hanged any day at down.
It is necessary also to mention how the Latifi family who was forced to save the life of their son by trusting several authorities with influence at the Judiciary and Intelligence serves whom claimed to help Habib and received cash and bribe without doing anything in return. 

Also the Latifi family submitted requests to meet with the judicial authorities such as Ayatollah Shahroudi, Mr. Larijani and the governor of Kurdistan (Ismail Najjar), however these authorities used various of excuses and refused to meet their requests.
Habib, is one of the political prisoners and hunger strikers whom protested the execution of Ehsan Fattahian and didn’t give up of trying to save his cellmate life until the last moments, this end to be a reason to intensify the pressure on him, including the guards by the order of the head of the prison searched and confiscated Habib’s personal books, notes several times, they denied his rights of personal visit with his family, denying his right of phone call.
On January this year Habib once again was transferred to solitary confinement for more interrogation and was under tortured for four days. During the visit of Ayatollah Khamenei to Kurdish the intelligence officers went to Habib’s parents home late at night to threaten and keep them under house arrest until the completion of Ayatollah Khamenei speech which took place in Azadi Square in Sanandaj, Habib’s mother suffered a heart attack during this raid.
Currently, political prisoners Habib Latifi, 28 years old sentenced to death is detained at ward 2 in Sanandaj prison, the sentence may be executed at any moment by the permission from the head of Judiciary branch. His family is asking for help from all conventions and human rights organizations to save his life.

 

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