A/HRC/28/70 14. Mr. Hadi Esmaeilzadeh, a former member of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre (DHRC) who was reportedly convicted in July 2014 for “propaganda against the system” through membership in an “illegal organization” and “assembly and collusion against the system.” Apparently he was recently accused by authorities for communicating with the UN Human Rights Council.2 15. In its reply to the Draft of this Report, the Government of Iran denied that individuals are prosecuted “solely” for relations with UN human rights mechanisms, “unless he/she commits an act that is regarded as a violation of law such as commission of criminal acts or security offenses.” V. Overview of civil and political rights A. Right to life 16. On 24 September 2014, authorities confirmed the execution of Mr. Mohsen Amir Aslani, who was originally convicted in 2007 on charges including “heresy,” “immoral acts,” and insulting Jonah, an Islamic prophet. Mr. Aslani, a psychologist and religious teacher by background, had apparently implied in one of his classes that it may not have been physically possible for Jonah to have been eaten by a whale and then to have escaped from the belly of that same whale, as certain religious traditions hold. Iranian authorities claim that Mr. Aslani was hanged for committing rape,3 and not for insulting this religious figure. In an open letter family members have disputed the bases of this charge, highlighting potential discrepancies in timing and inconsistencies in evidence offered by authorities. 17. On 25 October 2014, authorities executed Ms. Reyhaneh Jabbari, despite repeated calls for the stay of her execution4 by international human rights organizations, including UN human rights mechanisms. Ms. Jabbari was convicted of murdering a man she claimed had tried to sexually assault her prior to the incident in question. Concerns were raised about due process and fair trial violations in the case. Under Iranian law, the family of the victim of a murder is entitled to retaliatory action (“qisas”). The family of the murdered individual in this case refused to pardon Ms. Jabbari, and officials did not override this decision. Judicial authorities have claimed that Ms. Jabbari was granted a fair trial, as evidenced by the length of time of her appeals process; and that they attempted in good faith, but without success, to convince the “heirs of the blood” to pardon her. 18. In its reply to the Draft Report, the Government reiterated its achievements in combating drug trafficking, and also claimed that it consistently seeks to minimize the implementation of the death penalty. The Government highlighted what it describes as a lack of “international consensus” regarding the abolition the death penalty, but did not directly address the fact that neither executions for drug trafficking nor juvenile executions are permissible by international consensus. 19. On or around 20 February 2015, Mr. Saman Naseem, a juvenile offender, was seemingly executed, although authorities have not yet confirmed this.5 Mr. Nasim was arrested on 17 July 2011 at the age of seventeen for allegedly engaging in an armed conflict 2 3 4 5 26 https://www.fidh.org/International-Federation-for-Human-Rights/asia/iran/15703-iran-sentencing-ofmr-hadi-esmaeilzadeh-to-a-total-of-four-years-of. http://iranhr.net/2014/09/mohsen-amir-aslani-executed-this-morning/. http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=15224&LangID=E. http://iranhr.net/2015/02/saman-naseem-was-executed-yesterday/.