Paris, le 20 janvier 2004

www.worldcoalition.org
Executive Board Members
Florence Bellivier (FIDH), Elizabeth
Zitrin (MVFHR), Raphaël ChenuilHazan (ECPM), Guillaume Colin
(FIACAT) Mostafa Znaidi (OMDH)
Steering Committee Members:
AHR, Paris Bar, CAPR, CMCPM,
Collectif « Libérons Mumia »,
Community Saint Egidio, CPJ, DPF,
DPP, ECPM, FIACAT, FIDH, IHR,
LFHRI,
MVFHR,
OMDH,
PRI,
Reprieve, TAEDP, WTI
Member Organisations:
ABF, ACAT France, ACAT Germany,
ACAT Liberia, ADALEH, ADPAN,
AFSC, AI, AJEM, ALEF, ALIVE,
AMDH, APEQ, Arab Coalition Against
the Death Penalty, ASF France, ASF
Guinea, Association for the Rights to
Live, Bayt Al Hikma, BHC, BHRS,
Braine l’Alleud, CCDHRN, CCR,
CCSJ, CCPR , CEDP, CGNK, CGT,
Chaml , CHESO, CIB, CJCCPDM,
CMDH, CNLT, COALIT, CODHAS,
CODHO, COJESKI, Comitato Paul
Rougeau,
CPF,
CPR,
CRSJS,
CSFEF, CTCPM, CURE, CYM, Dijon,
Droits et Paix, DWI, EJ USA,
European association for Human
Rights, FACPM, FHRI, FMVJ, Forum
90, FSU, GAM, GCADP, HOC, Hope
& Justice, HRCP, HRI, Human Rights
Activists in Iran, HRW, HURILAWS,
ICHRDS, ICJ, IHRAG, IODR, Iraqi
Coalition Against the Death Penalty,
JIADEP, Journey of Hope, KADP,
KMMK-G, KontraS, LACR, LDH,
LDVDH,
Leaders
Organization,
League of Women Lawyers of
Tajikistan, LEDAP, Legal Awareness
Watch-LAW, LHRC, LIDH, Lifespark,
LPJ, LSF, Lualua Center for Human
Rights, Mano river union youth
parliament,
Matera,
Mauritanian
Coalition Against the Death Penalty,
MDT, MEDEL, Michigan Committee
Against Capital Punishment, Mothers
Against Death Penalty, Mouvance des
Abolitionnistes du Congo Brazzaville,
MRAP, NACDL, NCADP, NHM, New
Hampshire Coalition to Abolish the
Death Penalty, NLG, OBFG, ODA
Geneva, ODA Hauts de Seine, ODA
Liège, OMCeO Firenze, OMCT, OMP,
ONP,
Pax
Christi
Uvira,
Parliamentarians for Global Action,
PCHR, PCRC, PFADP, Poitiers,
PRCADP,
QUNO,
RADHOMA,
RAIDH,
RAL,
Reggio
Emilia,
REPECAP, Reprieve Australia, Rights
and Democracy, ROTAB, SACP, Save
Anthony,
SHAMS,
Stop
Child
Executions, SYNAFEN, TCADP, Think
Centre, Tuscany, UCPDHO, Unis pour
l’abolition de la peine de mort,
USHRN, Venice, Victorian Criminal
Justice Coalition, WICC
Secretariat:
World Coalition Against the Death
Penalty
69, rue Michelet - 93100 Montreuil
FRANCE
Tel: + 33 1 80 87 70 43
Fax: + 33 1 48 70 22 25
[email protected]
Statement of the World Coalition Against the Death
Penalty on Soheil Arabi’s Death Sentence in Iran:
Exercising freedom of expression is not a crime
Soheil Arabi, a 30-year-old Iranian photographer, has been sentenced to
death for “insulting the Prophet” on Facebook and his death sentence has
been upheld by the Iranian Supreme Court. The World Coalition Against
the Death Penalty strongly condemns Arabi’s death sentence and calls on
the Iranian authorities to rescind it immediately.
The President of the World Coalition, Florence Bellivier, stated: “Soheil
Arabi has been sentenced to death solely for exercising his right to
freedom of expression. We call for immediate removal of his death
sentence and urge the Iranian authorities to release him.”
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the Spokesperson of Iran Human Rights, a
member of the World Coalition's Steering Committee, said: “Iranian penal
law allows death penalty for many non-violent charges such as 'insulting
the Prophet'. Reversal of these death sentences must be the highest
priority of the international community’s dialogue with Iran”.
The Revolutionary Guards arrested Soheil Arabi in November 2013. Arabi
was held in solitary confinement for two months inside the Guard's Ward
2-A at Evin Prison, before he was transferred to Evin’s General Ward 350,
where he is being held now. Branch 76 of the Tehran Criminal Court,
under Judge Khorasani, found Arabi guilty of “sabb al-nabi” (insulting the
Prophet), for postings Soheil Arabi made on eight Facebook accounts,
which the authorities said belong to him, on August 30, 2014. The
Supreme Court upheld the sentence on 24 November 2014.
Article 262 of the Iranian Penal Code provides a sentence of death for
insulting the Prophet of Islam or any of the other grand prophets.
Arabi’s death sentence is a clear violation of Iran’s obligations under the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to respect the right to
freedom of expression.
Paris, 28 November 2014

Download Report