Amnesty International has urgently called on the Iranian authorities to halt the execution of six Kurdish men who the organisation fears are risk of imminent execution.

The men are Sunni Muslims from Iran’s Kurdish minority, sentenced to death after being convicted of vaguely-worded offences including “enmity against God” and “corruption on earth”. They are on death row in Ghezel Hesar Prison near Tehran, and two of them - Hamed Ahmadi and Sedigh Mohammadi - have recently been transferred to solitary confinement.

Amnesty has also learned that prison authorities intend to transfer the four others on death row - Jamshid Dehgani, his younger brother Jahangir Dehgani, Kamal Molayee, and Hadi Hosseini - to solitary confinement. They too may face imminent execution
Amnesty believes some of these men have been tried in proceedings falling short of international standards.

Amnesty International Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui said:

“The news of the transfer of two Iranian men to solitary confinement indicate the worst for the men. It is known as the execution waiting room for inmates sentenced to death.

“The death penalty is the ultimate cruel and inhuman punishment. For decades the Iranian authorities have issued death sentences ruthlessly and on a regular basis.

“While recent releases of political prisoners offered a glimmer of hope, executions have continued and token gestures will not be enough to address the abysmal human rights record of the Iranian authorities.”

Iran is the world’s most prolific executioner after China. More than 400 executions are believed to have taken place in total so far in 2013.

Amnesty opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception.