On 10 October 2023, World Day against the Death Penalty, ACAT Luxembourg will hold a vigil at Place d’Armes in Luxembourg City in partnership with the „Comité Nationale – Comité de défense des droits de l’homme en Iran“ and the lranian Students Association, with the support of Amnesty International Luxembourg, starting at 12:00 pm.
ACAT Luxembourg is thus following the call of the World Coalition against the Death Penalty for marking this day internationally with public events to raise public awareness of the ongoing scandai of the death penalty.
This year, we are drawing particular attention to the disastrous situation in Iran: ln the first 6 months of this year, at least 354 people were executed, 36 percent more than during the same period last year, according to the NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR}. Seven executions are linked to the wave of protests for more women’s rights in Iran that broke out after the death of Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini. Human rights groups warn that seven more protesters could be facing execution in Iran.
The vigil will be accompanied by a dance performance by Sara Labbaf to commemorate the victims of capital punishment in Iran and worldwide.
ln this event, we will be joined by Mr. Amir Labbaf, a former prisoner of conscience who endured torture at the hands of the lranian government. He also witnessed executions and other serious violations of human rights within lranian prisons.
For concrete questions about the event, please contact :
- Mrs. Christina Fabian, ACAT Luxemburg, cfabian.acat@gmail.com
- or Mr. Poulad Moradi Shahmansouri, lranian Students Organisation, poulad.moradi@uni.lu
Testimonial by Amir Labbaf of the „Comité pour les droits de l’homme en Iran“
„My name is Amir Labbaf, a member of the Sufi minority. 1 have been both a prisoner of conscience and a political prisoner in Iran. My life has been a journey filled with immense hardship and sorrow. 1 have endured unjust arrests on over nine occasions by the lslamic Republic of Iran, endured unspeakable torture, and witnessed the agonies inflicted oncountless innocent people in detention. 1 have borne witness to heart-wrenching executions by the tyrannical government of Iran, the coercion of innocent individuals into taise confessions, and the hangings of those who sought only justice. This pain has burdened my heart for years. Thanks to the efforts of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, my family and I escaped the clutches of the criminal regime of Iran. 1 implore the residents of Luxembourg to sign this petition and join us in halting further atrocities and wrongful executions in Iran. May it be known far and wide that the gracious people of Luxembourg stand in solidarity with the oppressed and firmly against the oppressors.“