According to news media, Qasem Abasteh was executed on Sunday, 14/8/1402 Iranian Calendar, (5/11/2023 European Calendar) in Qezelhasar prison in Karaj.  Qasem Abasteh, 44, a father of two children from Mahabad, was arrested on 16/9/1388 Iranian Calendar (7/12/2009) along with six others named Davood Abdullahi, Ayub Karimi, Anwar Khezri, Khosrow Basharat, Kamran Sheikheh and Farhad Salimi. These seven Sunni prisoners were tried and sentenced to death in 12/1396 (February/March 2017) by Judge Mohammad Moqiseh, head of Branch 28 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court. The sentences were upheld by Branch 41 of the Supreme Court of Iran in May 2019 after years of judicial struggle. In September/October 2020, the Supreme Court rejected their request for a retrial.

They were charged with “warfare”, “corruption on earth” “support for Salafi groups,” and the murder of a man named Abdulrahim Tina, who was killed by unknown persons on 7/7/1387 Iranian Calendar (28/9/2008). However, all of them had repeatedly insisted in letters published by human rights organizations in recent years that the allegations against them were baseless. Now, after the execution of Qasem Abasteh, the six other prisoners are in danger of being executed.

Qasem Abasteh was held in solitary confinement after several months in the prison of the Urmiyeh Intelligence Department. He was then transferred to Evin Prison in Tehran, where he was held in solitary confinement f under sections 240 and 209 for six months. He was constantly interrogated and tortured. He, a prisoner of Sunni belief, was transferred to Rajai Shahr prison in the city of Karaj on 1/25/1391 (16/3/2012) and later to Qezelhasar prison of Karaj in 5/1391 (July 2012).

Qasem was transferred to the security cell in the third unit of Qezelhasar prison on Sunday, 7/8/1402 Iranian Calendar (29/10/2023). It was an Indication of the impending execution. A group of political prisoners in Qezelhasar prison issued a public appeal to prevent the execution of this religious prisoner. In their public letter, they emphasized the blatant lack of a right to a fair trial:

„We may not allow the current situation and the outbreak of war in the region (Israel-Hamas-war) to become an opportunity for the government to kill a citizen.”

Meanwhile, Ahmad Reza Hairi, a political prisoner, described in a public letter from Qezelhasar prison, the court hearing of one of Qasem Abasteh’s co-defendants from his trial:

“Judge Moqiseh announced the verdict this way: You are a Kurd, this is the reason for the execution. Secondly, you are Sunnis, the reason for the second execution. Third, you have Salafi attitude, reason for the third execution.”

May Qasem Abasteh’s soul rest in peace