The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran confirms that twenty-year-old Mohammad Amin Valian, a student at Iran’s Damghan University, has lost his case in Iranian appeals court; Iran’s judiciary upheld Valian’s death sentence in connection with the December 27th Ashura protests. Valian is among 11 others who were charged with “moharebeh”, or waging war against God, the most serious offense one can be charged with in Iran.
These rulings continue to demonstrate the international community’s failure to bring about any real change in Iran’s human rights record. Even after the United Nation’s Human Rights Council’s examination of Iran in February, there still seems to be little progress towards holding the Iranian government accountable for its actions.
“We see a direct relationship between the failure of the international community, particularly the UN Human Rights Council, to hold Iran accountable…,” stated Aaron Rhodes, a spokesperson for the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.
“Iran has received a clear message: Your atrocities will neither arouse any serious response from the Human Rights Council, nor block your bid for membership in the Human Rights Council,” he said.
Valian testified in court that he threw rocks at security forces and plainclothes militiamen, but further added that these rocks did not actually strike anyone. Although the student was politically active, and participated in several demonstrations, he was not a political leader. The International Campaign for Human Rights further reports that more than 100 Iranian students are in detention for their political activity.
Back to top