Shorash Morovvati, a death row prisoner who was returned to Sanandaj Central Prison last month after spending 10 months in the Ministry of Intelligence detention centre, was moved to solitary confinement for execution on 14 August.
An informed source that spoke to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) said: “Shorash Morovvati was transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence detention centre by security agencies and the prosecutor of Sanandaj on 1 October last year during the prisoners’ protests in Sanandaj prison, because he had escaped from Saqqez Prison in the past. During this period, he was subjected to severe torture by security interrogators, who informed him that his execution would be carried out in cooperation with the prosecutors of Sanandaj and Saqqez.”
The source highlighted that due to the continuing physical and psychological effects of severe torture by prison guards and security forces, Morovvati remained detained at the Ministry of Intelligence detention centre until mid-July and was denied any contact or interaction with his family.
Morovvati, from Saqqez in Kurdistan Province, was arrested in 2009 on charges of “armed robbery resulting in murder”, which ultimately led to a death sentence.
Despite earlier indications from the victim’s family that they would consider giving their consent in exchange for ‘blood money’, the prosecutors in Sanandaj and Saqqez have stepped up their efforts to enforce the execution.
In spring 2020, during the riots at Saqqez Central Prison, Morovvati managed to escape, but was recaptured by security forces within a few days and then transferred to Sanandaj Central Prison.
Last year, prisoner Hemin Mostafaei, who had also been taken to the Ministry of Intelligence during the Sanandaj prison protests, was executed in Sanandaj on 21 June under pressure from the prosecutor and the Ministry of Intelligence.
