Anti-death penalty activist arrested in Iran

Iranian activist Emaddedin Baghi, head of the Committee for the Defense of Prisoners’ Rights, was arrested on Sunday, Agence France-Presse reported the same day.

“He is charged with spreading propaganda against the regime and publishing secret government documents,” said his lawyer Saleh Nikbakht. Nikbakht added that, according to the charges, Baghi obtained secret information from prisoners detained in security prisons and then disseminated the information during seminars held by his rights group.

For the past few months, Baghi has been publicly protesting the recent wave of hangings, many of which occur in public. He also wrote an open letter in September to the heads of reformist parties about their lack of action on this issue.

Much of Baghi’s work has been dealing with cases in the western Khuzestan Province, which has a large Arab population and has seen a wave of executions since deadly bomb attacks occurred in 2005 and 2006.

Baghi, a former journalist, was imprisoned between 2000 and 2003 for writings in several pro-reform newspapers. He also has a case under appeal from earlier this year regarding his activities.

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Afghanistan ends moratorium on death penalty, executes 15

Afghanistan executed 15 prisoners by firing squad Monday, the first use of the death penalty in three years, Reuters reported the same day.

According to state television, the executed men had been involved in various crimes, including the murder of foreign reporters and U.N. staff, theft and highway robbery.

A U.N. representative said that it would have been better if Afghanistan had maintained its moratorium on using the death penalty.

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