January 11, 2007	Thursday	Zilhaj 20, 1427

GENEVA, Jan 10: Legal experts from the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday called upon Iran to stop the execution of seven men accused of receiving western training to overthrow the Tehran government.

The independent legal experts appointed by the UNHRC urged Iran to `stop the imminent execution of seven men belonging to the Ahwazi Arab minority and grant them a fair and public hearing’.

The seven were arrested in June for receiving training in Iraq from the United States, Britain and Israel, and returning to Iran to destabilise the country, to sabotage oil installations and to overthrow the government.

Three others arrested at the same time -- Malek Banitamim, Abdullah Solymani and Ali Matorizadeh -- were executed in mid-December, a UN statement said. On Monday, authorities in Khuzestan province informed the families of the remaining seven men that they would be executed within the next few days.

The legal experts said that the men's lawyers were not allowed to see them prior to their trial, and were given access to the prosecution case only hours before the start of the trial.

The convictions were reportedly based on confessions extorted under torture.

“We are fully aware that these men are accused of serious crimes, including having tried to overthrow the government after having received military training by US and UK forces,” the UN experts said.

“However, this cannot justify their conviction and execution after trials that made a mockery of due process requirements.” According to Iranian media reports, the death sentences were triggered by charges of `mohareb’ -- translated as `being at war with God’.—AFP