Iran Snapshot: Jafar Kazemi's Wife Speaks About His Execution

Roudabeh Akbari, Jafar Kazemi's wife, has spoken by phone to the International Campaign for Human Rights about the killing of her husband, a lithographer at Amir Kabir University, this morning (see updates and an earlier interview with Akbari):

This morning we went to visit with him. We filled out a [visitation request] card, too. But they came back and told us that they had hanged him. They said, "If we want to give you his body, we will call you. Go and take it easy. It’s all finished now."...

Please, I only ask you to tell the world what kinds of criminals and felons they are. Let the world know. How long does the world want to wait? How long do you want to issue statements and put up with them? Can you hear me?

They hanged him at 4:00 a.m., because they perform [the executions] early in the morning. They had no evidence, only a few photographs or videos taken and sent during the post-election gatherings. Is the punishment for this the death penalty? According to their own Constitution...punishment for someone who propagates against the regime is one to six years in prison.Look at the sentences they have been handing out. But God is great and he is up there, and he will seek my and my children’s revenge.

I went to the Prosecutor’s Office last Saturday to ask for an appointment. They said the Prosecutor has told them: "Don’t let this woman in here. We want nothing to do with her and we will not accept any letters from her." And now they want to threaten me again, saying, "Why do you [give an] interview?" When they would not hear me at all, shouldn’t I have said what was happening to us?