Azerbaijan, Baku, October 19 / Trend News T. Konyayeva /
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is concerned about a death sentence towards three defendants arrested after the presidential elections on June 1 and follow further decisions of the Iranian authorities, representative of OHCHR, Robert Vaughan, said.
"OHCHR continues to monitor the situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The High Commissioner recently raised concerns over information received regarding the trials of individual's arrested after the elections," representative of Asia- Pacific Unit of UN Office, Robert Vaughan, told Trend News via E-mail.
Two men were sentenced to death penalty for relations with the Royal Assembly of Iran, based as opposition group abroad. Third person sentenced to death penalty, accused of involvement in another opposition group Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization (People's Mujahedin of Iran), official representative of Tehran's court, Bashiri Rad, told Iranian Students News information agency last week.
Vaughan referred to official statement of UN Office of the High commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay. This statement said that there is serious anxiety about the recent trials over opposition activists. Pillay hopes that the court's verdicts will be carefully considered in the higher instances.
The statement also said that the death penalty can be applied only under very strict conditions, for example, the graviest crimes, and only after thorough trial under norms of the international law.
Iranian current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won the elections on June 12. His major rival is Mir-Hossein Mousavi accused authority of falsification of elections results. Actions of protest caused clashes between police and opposition.
According to official information, roughly 20 people died during clashes. According to unofficial information, roughly 150 people died. Roughly 1,032 demonstrators were arrested. Most of them were released.
Pillay's statement also said that she opposes the death penalty under any circumstances, and calls for the government to act in accordance with the resolution to "establish a moratorium for the death penalty to abolish death penalty" adopted by the UN General Assembly in February 2008.
