Find out more at www.amnesty.org.uk
Updates c/o Revd Ed Standhaft
As part of Refugee Week, the Wells branch of Amnesty International in conjunction with the Mid-Somerset Oxfam group have arranged a day meeting entitled Refugee Awareness Day, for Tuesday 17 June. The event, which takes place in the Cathedral education room from 10.00 a.m., is in conjunction with an exhibition on refugees in the Cathedral cloisters from 17–29 June. Admission is included in the entrance to Wells Cathedral, but tickets priced £5 are on sale for the Refugee Awareness Day from the OXFAM Shop, 59 High Street, Wells, or from Eventbrite.
On Sunday 22 June at 3.00 p.m., Cathedral Evensong will have a refugee theme, and the preacher will be the Dean of Wells. Refreshments will be served following the service.
The next meeting of Amnesty International takes place on Thursday 26 June at 2.30 p.m. in Wells Library. All are welcome.
Nigerian YAHAYA has been under sentence of death in Nigeria since 2020 for “blasphemy” after circulating a song on WhatsApp that allegedly contained derogatory comments against the Prophet Muhammad.
In November 2022 an appeal was filed before the Supreme Court of Nigeria for which a hearing date is yet to be fixed. In the meantime, Yahaya who has asthma is being held in a correctional facility without adequate access to his medication.
Amnesty International believes the Nigerian authorities must take all necessary steps to overturn Yahaya Sheriff-Aminu’s conviction and granted his immediate and unconditional release.
Pending his release, he must be allowed regular access to all necessary medication.
Amnesty International is petitioning the Nigerian authorities for such action to be taken.
On Sunday 22 June, Choral Evensong at 3.00 p.m. will have a refugee theme and the preacher will be the Dean of Wells. Flyers and details of these events will be available later in the month.
The local Amnesty International Wells group in conjunction with the Mid Somerset Oxfam group have arranged a day conference entitled ‘refugee awareness day’ for Tuesday 17 June, which is in refugee week.
The event which takes place in the Cathedral education room from 10 am is in conjunction with a display on refugees in the cathedral cloisters from 17 to 29 June. The exhibition is free but tickets will be on sale for the conference on the Tuesday.
On Sunday 22 June, Choral Evensong at 3.00 p.m. will have a refugee theme and the preacher will be the Dean of Wells. Flyers and details of these events will be available later in the month.
Roberto, aged 41, was sentenced in October 2021 to 10 years in prison for his participation in the protest of July 2021. Roberto was charged with the offences of contempt and assault, public disorder and incitement to commit a crime, all of which are typically used by Cuban authorities against people wishing to exercise their human rights of peaceful assembly and association.
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found Roberto’s detention to be arbitrary and motivated by the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of association and assembly, as well as to freedom to express an opinion. It’s also found that Roberto‘s right to a free, fair and impartial trial had been violated.
Please pray for Roberto in his imprisonment in Cuba.
Easter is the great Christian festival, perhaps the greatest of all its festivals, because it proclaim Jesus, who was imprisoned and tortured, to be the one who is victorious. The example of Jesus can give hope to people in prison and in particular to those fighting for the liberation of other people.
Jesus was unjustly imprisoned and tortured and crucified. He was perhaps a model of all non-violent political prisoners who from time beginning have suffered the result of holding to certain beliefs, even to the point of death.
Amnesty International, which today consists of people of many different beliefs and no beliefs continues to fight for justice and freedom for men and women, boys and girls all over the world who have been imprisoned simply because of their convictions.
Quite often, amnesty cannot be certain that their efforts of writing letters and petitioning governments for the release of prisoners will be effective but the effort has to continue and we urge Christian people to support its work.
The Wells amnesty group meets on April 8th when someone from Amnesty International UK comes to speak about the financing of Amnesty.
International Woman’s Day on 8 March 2025 will take place in Penniless Porch from 10 am till 4 pm. Letters will be signed for prisoners of conscience and a card for our Lady prisoner whose name is Chaima Issa.
Chaima is a journalist, a prisoner of conscience in Tunisia. She is also a writer, poet and human rights activist. In 2001 she joined a coalition of groups opposed to the president and was arrested as a result. On international Women’s Day, members of the public are invited to discover what Amnesty is all about and its campaigns for the release of prisoners worldwide who are fighting for democracy in their respective countries.
Wells Amnesty group is now meeting at the Globe public house in Priests Row and the next meeting is at 2. 30 pm, Wednesday 12 March 2025. All are welcome to attend and learn more about Amnesty and the work of the local group.
Maria Kalesnikava is a Belarusian Prisoner of Conscience, an accomplished professional flutist, who, in 2020 headed Viktar Babaryka’s campaign during the presidential elections in Belarus.
Her campaign was in opposition to Alexander Lukashenko. Maria was kidnapped and taken to Belarus by force.
On September 6 she was sentenced to eleven years in a penal colony for her political activities. She was not heard from till her father was allowed to visit her in prison in November 2024.
In prison, Maria Kalesnikave has been seriously ill and the United Kingdom government has its expressed its concern about her welfare.
Amnesty International is campaigning for her release.
Wells Amnesty International group are continuing to support Alla Abdel el Fattah, imprisoned in Egypt, a prisoner of conscience who has dual nationality, British and Egyptian.
Alla, now aged 43 has been imprisoned by each of the four previous political regimes in Egypt. A professor of journalism at McQuarrie University was, for a short time in Prison with him. Dr. Peter Greste wrote, “if anybody represents the very British values of democracy, respect for human rights, justice and due process it is this Egyptian activist.”
Dr. Peter Greste, the friend of Mr El Fattah has gone on hunger strike in solidarity with him, joining his mother Laila Who is also on hunger strike for her son.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is never silent about people who are victims of gross injustice. If you wish to find out more about Alla, or the work of Amnesty International, please contact Revd Ed Standhaft by email to edstandhaft@sky.com
The Wells and Shepton Amnesty group went to the House of Commons early in December to talk to their MPs about human rights issues and in particular the case of Alaa Abd El Fattah, the group’s prisoner of conscience. The local Amnesty Pub Quiz is being held on Tuesday, the 14th of January at the Globe Inn, Wells. Doors are open at 7 pm and teams of four people are invited to compete at a cost of £3 per person. Pre- booking is required, So please phone the secretary, Mark on 01749 678725, or email mendipmark@live.co.uk. All proceeds are in need of the work of amnesty International.
Professor Sebnem Korur Fincancl, the head of the Turkish Medical Association, has held a number of senior civil society positions, including work with the Human Rights Foundation which specialises in preventing torture. She is currently head of the Turkish Medical Association, the body that represents the majority of physicians in Turkey.
Following a police raid at her home in Istanbul for criticising the Turkish military in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, she was put in detention and sentenced to 2 years eight months in prison. Further charges involving her links to human rights work were made against her. Professor Fincancl Now faces the prospect of seven years in prison as well as substantial fines. Please remember her in your prayers.
December ‘Write for Rights’ campaign
The Amnesty International ‘Write for Rights’ campaign takes place on Saturday, December 7 in Penniless Porch, Wells from 10am to 3pm and everyone is invited to send a card of greetings to Prisoners of Conscience, nine of whom have been selected for special consideration by Amnesty. A very short message of greetings on just one card will let the prisoner know they are not forgotten.
The cards will be provided by Amnesty who will also pay for postage. The nine include three priority Amnesty cases. All those imprisoned have expressed views on Human Rights and include prisoners in Turkey, Angola and Egypt. Please come to Penniless Porch and support Amnesty International and give political prisoners hope this Christmas.
The Wells branch of Amnesty International is petitioning the Egyptian authorities for the release of its prisoner of conscience, Alaa Abdel Fattah, who has been detained in Egypt since 2019 on trumped up charges of spreading false news.
His sister and fellow human rights activist, Mona Self, has written about Alaa’s resilience in prison and why she hopes the new UK government will finally secure his release.
She writes: ‘Now is the time to refocus our efforts and work with the new government in Great Britain, not just for Alaa’s case but for all cases of British people held in Arbitary detention abroad……Alaa’s five years sentence ended on the 29th of September and if the Egyptian authorities feel real pressure, we might see an end to his detention.’
Please pray for Alaa, and support the Well’s Amnesty campaign for his freedom.
Toomaj Salehi, a dissident rapper, was sentenced to death in April because of his participation in the ‘Woman Life Freedom’ uprising and for his social media posts criticising the authorities for their lack of support of basic human rights.
His death sentence was overturned in June, following a public outcry around the world. But he remains in prison. Amnesty International maintains that his trial was grossly unfair, with the authorities dismissing his complaints of torture, death threats and repeated beatings.
Amnesty is calling for Toomaj’s immediate and unconditional release.
One of the speakers at the Wells festival of literature this year is Shami Chakrabartl, who is a leading British human rights lawyer, parliamentarian and campaigner who believes that now more than ever before, we need to protect our fundamental rights.
Shami Chakrabarti will say that human rights have been eroded and the goal for greater equality, justice and peace is being threatened from across the political spectrum and by wars, new technologies and climate change.
The rights to refuge, health, education and living standards, the right for privacy, fair trials and free speech, the outlawing of torture, slavery and discrimination are now in danger.
She will be speaking on Friday 18 October 2024. Phone (01749) 834483 (Wells festival of literature.) It is essential to book a ticket for this and other events
Dongelesse Nguessan had never been politically active but her concerns about the economy and the country as a whole led her to join the first protest which was organised by the opposition MRC party in September 2020 in the city of Douala.
The demonstration took place, despite being banned by the authorities. Security forces responded by firing rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd and 500 people were arrested, including Dongelesse. She was taken to the local police station where a policeman later attempted to sexually assault her. Many of the prisoners arrested with her also reported excessive force, torture, and other ill treatment while in detention.
Dongelesse was transferred to the central Prison and charged with ‘insurrection, assembly, meetings and public demonstrations.’ In December 2021, a military court convicted and sentenced her to 5 years in prison.
Her lawyers appealed the verdict which continues to the present day.
The Wells group of Amnesty International have received a second prisoner of conscience, Chaima Issa, to campaign for after her imprisonment in Tunisia.
Chaima joined an organisation called “citizens against the coup” following a gradual tightening of restrictions against public freedom in Tunisia. She has been refused travel overseas and is also on trial before a military court for remarks about the role of the military in legislative elections in December 2022, and for remarks of spreading false rumours against the President of Tunisia and criticism of authorities.
Amnesty is calling on the Tunisian president to immediately drop all charges against Chaima Issa.
Amnesty International primary work is to seek release for men and women in prison, not because they have committed any recognised criminal offence but only because they have protested against unjust and oppressive governments and their policies.
The other concern of Amnesty is to oppose totally the death penalty, wherever such executions form a part of a nation’s legal code. For 45 years, Amnesty has worked for the death sentence to be abolished. Amnesty believes that governments that continue to use the death penalty are practising an inhumane, cruel and degrading punishment.
Amnesty latest report Death sentences and executions in 2023 was released in May of this year.
Amnesty International, the Wells group is organising the ‘Lines in the Sand’ exhibition which takes place in June, 20th and 21st, in the Stable Room of the Bishops Palace at Wells. This is a photographic exhibition for 2 days onl of pictures taken by refugees in a refugee camp, depicting the life of refugees seem through the lens of their cameras. The exhibition which is open to all costs nothing for admittance.
On Thursday, June 20th, Ben Grant, a human rights lawyer who teaches law with a special emphasis on Human Rights will be speaking at 11-30am on ‘Human Rights Education.’ In the Stable Room.
The ‘Lines in the Sand’ exhibition, open from 10am to 5-00pm is an opportunity to learn about the plight of refugees and the importance of Human Rights education for today.
Hakamada Iwao has been under sentence of death in Japan for more than half a century, convicted of the murder of the owner of the factory where he worked, and of the owner’s wife and two children. The sentence of death was based on a confession, extracted through torture, and on evidence that is likely to have been fabricated and planted. Two years later he was given a death sentence.
Hakamada has spent more than 45 years on death row, chiefly in solitary confinement. In March 2014 he was given a release, suspended the death sentence and granted a retrial. But because the prosecution appealed, it took nine years to finalise the retrial, which eventually began in October 2023.,
Hakamada, who has maintained his innocence, is now 87 and suffers from poor mental and physical health because of the decades he has spent on death row. Amnesty believes that he must be brought to justice and exonerated as soon as possible. Amnesty International is totally opposed to any form of capital punishment.
Ed Standhaft (Revd) group chair, Amnesty International, Wells
One of the questions most frequently asked about Amnesty International is whether the efforts of Amnesty members actually make a difference. Amnesty members send letters to Government authorities in countries where political prisoners have been detained but the question arises ‘Do they make a difference?’
Two brief examples show they do: Virginia Laparra, detained in the city of Quetzaltenango in Guatemala, a human rights activist was active in investigation of high-profile cases of human rights violations. She was imprisoned for four years in December 2022≥ On January 3rd 2023 a judge authorised the immediate release of Virginia.
Another hopeful case is of two Iranian journalist who had reported on the death in custody of a woman, Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for not wearing head coverings. The two reporters, Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi were charged with collaborating with the American Government and opposing national security. The two female journalist have been released but still await the final decision of the courts. They have been released on bail.
Amnesty can never be certain about the fate of those who take a stand against unjust imprisonment and torture. But fundamental to Amnesty’s campaigning is a belief about human dignity, and the fight for freedom and dignity will continue.
Umar Khalid has been detained for challenging religious discrimination in India. Umar, a Muslim as raised his voice against discrimination on religious grounds and human rights violations. As a result, the human rights defender and scholar has been imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising his rights for freedom of expression and assembly.
Umar was active in protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, a law that legitimises discrimination on the basis of religion and violates both the Indian constitution and international human rights law. He attended demonstrations and made speeches against the legislation.
He has been under arrest since 13 September 2020, after the authorities accused him of inciting communal violence through his speeches.He was charged under the Indian Penal Code – including ‘promoting enmity between different groups’ and rioting – and the Unlawful (Activities) Prevention Act.
Umar has been held in prison for three years without trial. His bail applications have been repeatedly rejected by the courts.
Marfa Rabkova was jailed for exposing state brutality in Belarus. She is coordinator of the volunteer network for promotion of human rights, and is imprisoned for documenting human rights abuses, after she investigated such abuses by offices who had opposed peaceful demonstration following the disputed presidential elections.
In 2020 she was sentenced for up to 12 years in prison for inciting ‘ Social hatred, and being a member of a criminal organisation.’ Her sentence has been increased to 15 years in prison and Amnesty International considers her a Prisoner of Conscience.
Anon Nampa is a prisoner of conscience in Thailand, who has been jailed for peaceful protest. He is in prison charged with more than a dozen unwarranted crimes to do with his work as a human rights lawyer. Last September, he was given a four year prison sentence and a £400 fine for speaking at and participating in peaceful assemblies. Anon Is a leading pro-democracy activist who has campaign for the rule of law, human rights and political reform.
As a human rights lawyer, he has defended marginalised communities and individuals targeted for exercising their civil liberties. Anon Nampa Is one of 2000 people including 286 children who are targeted by the Thailand government, seeking to crack down on human rights.
Please remember Itai Dzamara, a Zimbabwean journalist and pro-democracy advocate who was arrested in March 2015. His family and human rights lawyers have tried to find him, but without success. The High Court of Zimbabwe have ordered the ministry of home affairs and the ministry of state security and the police to find him, but without success. Before his abduction, ITAI called for mass action against the deteriorating economic conditions in Zimbabwe.
The next meeting of Amnesty will be at the Cathedral café, The Loft on Thursday the 8th of February at 2.30 pm.. If you are interested in finding out about the work of Amnesty, please come along and we should be very pleased to see you. We shall be talking about future events and Alaa Abdelfattah, our prisoner of conscience in Egypt.
At the beginning of a new year, the Wells group of Amnesty International wish to thank the Cathedral for the continual support of the work of Amnesty International, particularly in the Saint Catherine Chapel where we are all encouraged to pray for prisoners of conscience and to work for their release.
If you would like to help the work of amnesty and are interested in working for prisoners of conscience, please contact the Reverend Ed Standhaft at edstandhaft@sky.com
Ed will be able to give further details about the Wells Amnesty group, its prisoners and meetings of the group.
Saturday 9 December 2023, Penniless Porch
As part of the Amnesty International ‘Write for Rights’ campaign this month, members of the public are invited to sign festive greeting cards to encourage support for human rights victims around the world. The signing will take place between 10.00 a.m. and 3.00 p.m.on Saturday 9 December in Penniless Porch (between the Cathedral and the Marketplace).
The campaign is in support of the international Human Rights Day on Sunday 10 December. The cards will be provided but donations for Amnesty International’s work with prisoners of conscience would be appreciated.
More details about the Wells branch of Amnesty’s prisoner of conscience, Alaa Abdel Fattah, imprisoned in Egypt, whose case for release is supported by the British government, will be included in the January 2024 E-Newsletter. To find out more about the work of Amnesty in Wells, please email jjrendel@yahoo.com.
Nasrin Sotoudeh is a human rights lawyer, and she has represented opposition activist Including women who have been persecuted for removing their mandatory head scarves. She was arrested in 2018 and charged with spying, spreading propaganda and insulting Iran’s supreme leader. In December 2022 she was back in prison after a temporary release and given 38 years in prison and 148 lashes. Amnesty considers Nasrin Sotoudeh’s case “shocking” and is asking for her immediate release.
Lu Siwei, a renowned Chinese human rights lawyer, is being held in the Xindu Detention Centre in Sichuan province, southwestern China, after he was forcibly returned to China from Laos. There is no information about the charges against him. Over the years, Lu has been intimidated and harassed by the Chinese authorities for his peaceful human rights work and he is now at real risk of torture and other ill-treatment. Suffering from psoriasis and without access to lawyer of his choice, his family worries about his well-being.
Doctor Mohammed al-Roken, a human rights lawyer and academic who once studied at Warwick University, is among eight Emirati dissidents who are still behind bars despite having completed their prison sentences.
In July 2013, Doctor al-Roken was convicted of attempting to overthrow the Emirati government and given a 10-year sentence following a mass trial of activists and critics of the authorities. The politically motivated trial was part of a major crackdown on human rights defenders designed to silence calls for reform. The proceedings were grossly unfair and marred by abuses, including defendants being denied access to a lawyer and held incommunicado or in solitary confinement. ‘Confessions’ obtained through torture were also used in court as evidence of their guilt.
Doctor Mohammed al-Roken was a previous Victim of Injustice in December 2014.
Former Prison Update: Turkey – 2017
Taner Kılıç, a board member of Amnesty International Turkey, has been released having been in prison for more than 7 years. He was convicted of ‘membership of a terrorist organisation’.
Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a singer, musician and composer, had shared a song on WhatsApp that allegedly contained derogatory comments about the prophet Muhammad. In August 2020 he was sentenced to death for blasphemy. There were serious concerns about the fairness of his trial by a Sharia court in Kano state, and the framing of the charges against him, including a lack of legal representation before and during the trial. In August 2022 the Court of Appeal in Kano delivered its judgement on his appeal; it failed to dismiss the charges against him and maintained that Yahaya Sharif-Aminu should be retried. The date for the retrial has yet to be set.
Former Prisoner Update: Zimbabwe – June 2023
Joanah Mamombe has been released. She still faces a further trial for protesting that the government failed to provide protection during the Covid pandemic.
Dorgelesse Nguessan was busy running her hairdressing business and supporting her family. Although she had never been politically active, concerns about the state of the economy prompted her to join her first ever protest, a peaceful demonstration in the city of Douala on 22 September 2020.
To disperse protesters security forces fired rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons. As Dorgelesse turned into an alleyway, police followed her and fellow protesters, blocking them in. She was arrested, taken to a police station and held in a cell with 22 other people and only one bed. Dorgelesse was subsequently charged with ‘insurrection, assembly, meetings and public demonstrations’ and sentenced to 5 years in jail. She is now in Douala Central Prison.
Dorgelesse has a son aged 18 who suffers with sickle cell anaemia. With the breadwinner now in prison, her relatives are struggling to pay for his medication.
Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara is a self-taught Black Cuban artist who loves to paint, dance, and wear bright pink suits. His home in San Isidro, one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Havana, is a haven for the community; an open house for people to meet and connect. As a leader of the San Isidro Movement, which was formed to oppose government censorship, Luis Manuel posted a video online on 11 July 2021 to say he would be joining one of the largest demonstrations Cuba had seen in decades. As a result, he was arrested and taken to prison. Luis Manuel was sentenced to 5 years’ imprisonment following a trial behind closed doors, and is now in Guanajay maximum security prison. His health is declining and he is not receiving adequate medical care.
Joanah Mamombe and two colleagues were arbitrarily arrested in Harare on 13 May 2020, having been brutally attacked after leading an anti-government protest. They were taken to a police station, forced into an unmarked car, and with hoods over their heads were driven out of the city. The women were thrown into a pit, beaten, sexually assaulted and forced to eat human excrement. They were found two days later – miles from Harare, covered in cuts and bruises and with their clothes torn – and taken to hospital.
While still hospitalised, Joanah and the other two women were charged with criminal offences relating to the protest. Prison guards and police officers were at the hospital to prevent them talking to journalists. After stating that they recognised some of their attackers, the women were rearrested on 10 June 2020 and charged with faking their ordeal. They were detained for 16 days before being given bail. Their trial is underway. No one has been held accountable for the trauma they suffered.
Nasser Zefzafi was living with his family in Rif, a region long-marginalised by the Moroccan government. In 2016 peaceful protests began in his hometown, sparked by the death of a fishmonger who was crushed by a rubbish truck as he tried to recover fish confiscated by the authorities. Thousands marched peacefully to express their sadness and frustration and demand change. As a result, the Hirak El-Rif movement was born and Nasser, a firm believer in justice and equality, became a prominent figure. The security forces subsequently arrested hundreds of protesters.
In May 2017 Nasser was arrested for interrupting a sermon at a mosque, accusing the imam of acting as a mouthpiece for the authorities. After being tortured and ill-treated in custody he was sentenced in June 2018 to 20 years in prison. Nasser is detained in solitary confinement. Prison conditions have badly affected his health, but he has been denied any medical care.
Aleksandra Skochilenko, an artist and musician, wanted to peacefully protest against Russian’s invasion of Ukraine. On 31 March 2022 she replaced price tags in a local supermarket in St Petersburg with paper labels containing facts about the invasion. In the early morning of 11 April, Aleksandra was arrested by the police and charged with ‘public dissemination of knowingly false information about the use of Armed Forces of the Russian Federation’. This is a new part of the criminal code hastily introduced by the government to stop Russians from criticising the invasion of Ukraine, under which dozens of people have been detained.
Aleksandra is being held in appalling conditions. She has coeliac disease and has been forced to go hungry for most of the time because the authorities have not given her the gluten-free food she needs. If convicted she faces up to 10 years in prison.
Morad Tahbaz, a British national, was one of a group of conservationists tracking endangered wildlife in Iran. He was arrested and charged with ‘co-operating with a hostile state against the Islamic republic’, and sentenced to 10 years in prison. When Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori were released and returned to this country, Morad’s family were promised that he would also be included. Although he was released from prison, having been arbitrarily detained for 5 years, he had to remain in Iran.
In a worrying development, Morad Tahbaz was returned to Tehran’s notorious Evin prison last October. He suffers from serious health conditions, including a history of cancer, yet the authorities have denied him essential medical care. Morad’s wife, Vida, has been placed under a travel ban. His daughter, Roxanne, campaigns for her father’s release outside the Foreign Office.
Chow Hang-Tung has made it her mission to ensure the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown are not forgotten, which the Chinese government wants people to forget. A courageous human rights lawyer and activist, she was vice-chair of the Hong Kong Alliance which organised the world’s biggest candlelight vigil commemorating the victims. In 2020 and 2021 Hong Kong’s authorities banned the event, citing public health issues in the midst of the pandemic. On 4 June 2021 Chow encouraged people on social media to remember the crackdown by lighting candles. Later that day she was arrested for ‘advertising or publicising unauthorised assembly’. Chow is serving a 22-month prison sentence for her peaceful activities; she also faces a further 10-year sentence for allegedly endangering national security through her actions.
Vahid Afkari and his brother Navid were arrested on 17 September 2018 after peacefully attending protests. Three months later their brother Habib was also arrested for peaceful protesting. The authorities held the brothers in solitary confinement and tortured them to ‘confess’ to crimes they repeatedly said they did not commit.
In a huge miscarriage of justice, the three were convicted on politically motivated, protest-related charges. Vahid and Navid were also convicted of the murder of a security official following a baseless accusation. Navid was sentenced to death and Vahid and Habib were sentenced to over 30 years in prison and 74 lashes each. On 12 September 2020 Navid was secretly executed without warning, sparking outrage and renewed campaigning for the brothers in Iran and globally. Habib was released in March 2022, but Vahid remains in solitary confinement.