HRANA News Agency – Hassan Dehvari, 28 and Elias Qalandarzehi, 21, two Baluch citizens, have been sentenced to death on charge of Muharebe. They claim that they have been arrested and sentenced to death as hostages just because of other relatives or family member’s political activities to force them to return or stop their activities, like other Baluch prisoners. They claim that they have been torture despite their innocence and even when they reported to the judge about the torture, he laughed and said, “you deserve it”. The two prisoners in time of armed conflicts between IRIG and a number of members of a Baluch militant group were transferred from prison to the front of the house where the conflict was and those who were armed and resisted in the house, were the relatives of Hassan Dehvari and Elias Qalandarzehi who were threatened that if they would not give up, they would see the execution of the inmates in the same place.
According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran (HRANA) Hassan Dehvari, 28, son of Abdullah, married and father of 5, as well as Elias Qalandarzehi 21, married and father of a daughter, both used to live in Saravan.
Mr. Dehvari and Mr. Qalandarzehi were arrested by the intelligence ministry of Saravan on February 5, 2015.
An informed close source to them, told HRANA’s reporter, “Hassan and Elias were arrested just to put pressure on their relatives who act against the central government of Iran. Hassan’s brother and four uncles of Elias are the members of an organization called “Jaish al-Adl” who is in an armed struggle against the central government. The aim of the arrests is just forcing those people who are involved in armed struggle to return to the country”.
The Baluch citizen after their arrests, citing the letter which they sent to out of the prison, were tortured for seven months in the detention center of the Intelligence before being transferred to prison and in this two times, were taken to Branch 6 of the court presided by judge Shah Mohammadi, twice.
On December 3, 2016 the last hearing was held headed by Mohammad Marzieh (former prosecutor in Sistan and Baluchestan) in Branch 2 of General Penal Court. In the process of investigation and court hearing, the defendants were denied access to lawyers.
Hassan Dehvari by writing a letter about the description of the torture and proceedings of their case, told, “in the detention center of the Intelligence, we were under severe physically and psychologically torture, such as threats of rape, seating to the miracle bed (the bed which is used for whipping prisoners), severe torture by all kinds of equipment, including whips, cables, wearing the helmets and importing electric shock to us, to pull the nails of the hands and feet, turning drills and threats piercing of hands and feet by drilling and also showing him his wife by video and threatening me by raping her.
So I had to confess to a dictated writing by Ministry of Intelligence officials which were prepared before. Then after 60 days, I was allowed to call my family and informed that I was alive and then understood my wife and children were released.”
He was held in the detention center of the Intelligence for 91 days in solitary confinement in harsh conditions and 3 months and 10 days in public ward and 21 days in solitary confinement again. During the seven months they were filmed 2 times. He says: “First time when my family was the hostage of security officials and second time when I had called the family to come to meet me. When I was going to meet them, I was told that if I would not accept these charges, they would arrest them again and held them in solitary confinement and torture them. So we had to confess to the dictated writing by Ministry of Intelligence officials which we were unaware of them.
After 7 months we were transferred to the central prison of Zahedan. Within 1 year and 4 months in prison, we were taken to branch 6 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court headed by Shah Mohammadi for 2 times and we were asked each session 2 questions, each time we told that we were innocent and had to accept the charges as I said, however, Mr. Shah Mohammadi like intelligence wrote down that we had accepted all charges, while we had not accepted them.”
He continues: “On December 3, 2016, we were taken to Branch 2 of the General Criminal Court headed by Mohammad Marzieh (former prosecutor in Sistan and Baluchestan) for last hearing that I and Elias did not accept the charges and told that we were forced to accept allegations under torture while we do not even know any details of the allegations. We have had to accept this under severe physical and psychological torture. But the judge did not heed to what we say and even when they reported to the judge about the torture, he laughed and said, ‘you deserve it.’”
Hasan Dehvari wrote: “Judge Marzieh himself announced that ‘I am aware where you were arrested and quite sure that you are innocent but you’re our hostages until your brother and cousin and Elias’s uncle who are political activists would surrender, if they would not, we would execute you.’”
A close source to the family of the two prisoners confirmed the authenticity of the letter of Hassan Dehvari and told HRANA’s reporter, “the day Hasan and Elias were arrested, a number of members of Jaish-e-Adl mainly from Saravan who are relatives of the two prisoners, were surrounded by the security forces in the village of Aspeech in Saravan. The armed clashes between residents and the military and security forces lasted for hours, at the same time, security forces took Hasan and Elias from the detention center to the house where was surrounded and announced to the members of the organization who were armed in the house that ‘if you would not give up, you will see the execution of the inmates in the same place.’ After residents continued armed resistance and breaking the siege, Hasan and Elias were returned back to the Intelligence Detention Center. After continued armed resistance and breaking the siege by residents, Hasan and Elias were returned to the Intelligence Detention Center.”
The source added, “the team that broke the siege and left the area left behind numerous instruments and military equipment. When relatives of Hasan and Elias refused to accept the demand of security apparatus, the Ministry of Intelligence used all devices which were discovered in the house in the case of the Baluch citizens, while they were arrested without any evidence and had a normal life and until now, they insist on their innocence.”
A close source to Qalandarzehi and Dehvari families told HRANA’s reporter, “shortly after the arrest of Hasan and Elias, security forces told grandmother of one of these people that Hasan and Elias would not be released until their relatives stopped the armed struggle and if it was needed, they would be executed instead of them.”
Based on the contents of the case, Hasan Dehvari and Elias Qalandarzehi have been sentenced to death on charge of Muharebe through cooperation with the organization of “Jaish al-Adl”.