Death row minor says he is innocent in interview

Rooz Online

Iran is the leading country in the execution of minors. Children who have committed murder in childhood stay in prison until they are 18 and are then executed. The person I interviewed is one of these people. Ali Mahin Torabi is a 25 year old man who was arrested on charges of murder while he was 16 and was sentenced to retribution (death). He spent 3 years in a correctional facility and 4 and a half years in the Rajayi Shahr Prison in Karaj. Despite the fact that the court ruled that the murder was unintentional and cleared him of the charges, the Supreme Court has ruled that the murder was intentional and he has to be tried for the third time.

Ali Mahin Torabi:

It was February 3, 2003 when I was in the 10th grade. In the morning in the first period, I was in class when my friend Milad who was very excited told me that he had gotten in an argument with someone and that we should confront him at recess. I was very good friends with Milad.
I followed him at recess to prevent him from getting in a fight. He got into a fight with two people in the campus. I went to separate Mazdak (who was later killed) from him. I did not know him.

He thought I had gone to help Milad so he threw a punch at me and the kids shouted that the principal was coming. They all dispersed and went back to class. Milad and I were taken to the principal's office. I was waiting in the hall when Mazdak told me that he wanted to see me in the last period. I followed him and intended to tell him that I did not mean to start a fight and that I only wanted to stop the fight. But right when I entered the class, he punched me and the kids separated us and I went back to my own class. After class ended while I was saying goodbye to my friends, Mazdak approached us and Milad gave me a knife and told me to put it in my backpack. I put it in my pocket. Before he could see Milad, Mazdak looked into my eyes and hit me on the head with his head. I threw my backpack and books on the ground and slapped him and his glassed fell off. His friends came and there was a fight and my classmates got in the fight too. We were more than 40. I suddenly saw knives in their hands and I got scared and brought out the knife Milad had given me to scare them and keep them from approaching me. The knife blade was not even open when they shoved Mazdak from behind on me and other people fell on me and punched and kicked me. When they got up, Mazdak got up too. He wanted to take his jacket off to attack me again when I saw that his shirt was bloody and I yelled, ‘who stabbed him’!!? Suddenly Mazdak saw the blood and fainted. When he fell, everyone fled the scene and I ran and stopped a car and told him to take Mazdak to the hospital but the driver said that whoever stabbed him has to take him to the hospital himself. No one was willing to take him to the hospital. I went and told the principal and he asked me who stabbed him. I saw that Mazdak was bleeding to death and I said that you can assume that I did but we have to take him to the hospital. They called the police and I was arrested.


They initially took me to the police station and then to the Criminal Intelligence Department. I was detained there for 28 days and then I was taken to the Correctional Facility where I was for three years. I was then transferred to the Rajayi Shahr Prison and was detained there for four and a half years.
I was very young and scared. They first told me in the police station that Mazdak was alright. I thought that once he got better, he would come and tell them everything and what happed and who stabbed him. I did not know that he had died. I told them everything in the police station and I told them the truth. Then they took me to the Criminal Intelligence Department. They beat me so much that I was forced to tell them that I was the murderer. There was an officer there who told me that he would let my family visit me and that I should tell them to bring 7 million tomans (about 7,000 dollars) and if they did (the police) would write that the murder was carried out by many people. But my family did not have the money.

I was beaten in the Criminal Intelligence Department for 28 days, every single day. On the cold winter nights, they would soak me with cold water, take me outside and lash me with a halter. Even when they were interrogating me about the details of the murder scene, the officer told me that if I did not say the things he told me, he would once again have me returned to the Criminal Intelligence Department and beat me again. He told me that I was a young and that they had forced people to talk who were much more experienced than me. It was as if they just wanted to close the case…
They treated me like an adult. After 28 days of being beaten, I was taken to the correctional facility and this was the only difference (I had with an adult). I did not know what to say or how to defend myself. I was constantly handcuffed and had shackles on my feet and there were gashes on my feet. They would bleed when I walked. On the fifth or sixth day, they took me to court. The judge would tell me to shut up when I wanted to talk in court and my father would constantly tell me not to say anything. He told me to just tell them that I made a mistake and to apologize. So I just looked down and did not say anything anymore. The judge asked me if I accepted the verdict and I did not answer and then he issued the death sentence which was actually 10 years of prison and then retribution...


I did have a lawyer. My lawyer said that I would get the death sentence and he said in court that he could not defend me and resigned. My lawyer was from the same town as Mazdak’s father and my father thought that he would be able to help us get them to forgive me. My father was looking to get them to forgive me rather than proving my innocence. I was important to get clemency but no one was after how much I had actually played a part (in the murder) and how much others had played a part and they just issued a death sentence…

Milad was arrested with but was released in the first days. When we were in the Criminal Intelligence Department, two men with beards came from the Prohibiting Vice, Promoting Virtue Department. Well Milad was a member of the Bassij and they helped in his release.

نوجوان محکوم به اعدام در مصاحبه با روز:از ۱۶ سالگي معلق بين مرگ و زندگي
ايران پيشتاز اعدام کودکان زير 18 سال در جهان است؛ کودکاني که در سنين کودکي و نوجواني مرتکب قتل شده اند و در زندان مي مانند تا به سن 18 سالگي رسيده و بر بالاي چوبه دار بروند. کسي که با او گفتگو کرده ام از همين جنس است؛ علي مهين ترابي، جوان 25 ساله اي که در سن 16 سالگي به اتهام قتل بازداشت و محکوم به قصاص شد. او سه سال در کانون تربيت و اصلاح و 4 سال و نيم در زندان رجايي شهر به سر برد. هرچند در کشاکش رسيدگي هاي قضايي، دادگاهي به غير عمدي بودن قتل، راي و حکم بر برائت او داد اما آخرين نظر ديوان عالي کشور بر عمدي بودن قتل است و او بايد براي بار سوم مورد محاکمه قرار گيرد.

علي مهين ترابي:

14 بهمن 1381 بود من کلاس دوم دبيرستان بودم. صبح زنگ اول سرکلاس بودم که دوستم ميلاد آمد خيلي سراسيمه بود گفت: "با يکي از سال سومي ها حرفم شده و زنگ تفريح حال او را مي گيرم". من با ميلاد خيلي دوست بودم.
زنگ تفريح دنبال او رفتم که نگذارم درگير شود داخل حياط با دو نفر درگير شد. رفتم جدا کنم مزدک (مقتول) طرف درگيري بود. او را اصلا نمي شناختم. تصور کرد براي طرفداري از ميلاد رفته ام يک مشت به من زد و بچه ها داد زدند که مدير دارد مي آيد. همه پراکنده شدند و سر کلاس ها رفتند. من و ميلاد انتظامات مدرسه بوديم. در سالن ايستاده بودم که مزدک آمد و گفت زنگ آخر کارت دارم و رفت. دنبال او رفتم که بگويم من قصد درگيري نداشتم و و ميخواستم وساطت کنم. اما همين که وارد کلاس آنها شدم يک مشت به من زد بچه ها جدايمان کردند و به کلاس خودم برگشتم. زنگ آخر موقع خداحافظي از بچه ها، مزدک سمت ما آمد و ميلاد تا او را ديد چاقويي به من داد و گفت توي کيفت بگذار. گذاشتم توي جيبم. مزدک قبل از اينکه ميلاد را ببيند با من چشم تو چشم شد با سر به سر من کوبيد من هم کيف و کتابم را انداختم و به او سيلي زدم عينکش افتاد و دوستان مزدک آمدند و درگيري شد هم کلاسي هاي ما هم درگير شدند بيشتر از 40 نفر بود. يکباره دست بچه ها چاقو ديدم ترسيدم و چاقويي که ميلاد داده بود را در آوردم که بترسانم سمت من نيايند. تيغه چاقو اصلا باز نشده بود مزدک از پشت هل داده شد سمت من و چند نفر همين طور افتادند روي من مشت و لگد ميزدنذ. بد که بلند شدند مزدک بلند شد. ميخواست کاپشنش را دربياورد که به من باز حمله کند ديدم پيراهنش خوني است داد زدم کدام نامردي زده؟ يکباره مزدک خون را ديد و از حال رفت. مزدک که افتاد همه فرار کردند سريع دويدم يک ماشين را نگهداشتم که مزدک را به بيمارستان ببريم اما راننده گفت هر کسي زده خودش ببرد. هيچ کسي حاضر نبود او را به بيمارستان ببرد. رفتم دفتر مدير مدرسه گفتند کي زده؟ ديدم همين طور از مزدک خون مي رود، گفتم فرض کنيد من زدم بايد ببريم بيمارستان. آنها هم زنگ زدند به پليس و پليس مرا بازداشت کرد.
ابتدا مرا به کلانتري بردند و از آنجا به آگاهي. من 28 روز اداره آگاهي بودم و بعد مرا به کانون اصلاح و تربيت بردند. سه سال آنجا بودم و بعد به زندان رجايي شهر منتقل کردند و 4 سال و نيم در اين زندان بودم
.

سن من خيلي کم بود خيلي ترسيده بودم ابتدا در کلانتري گفتند که حال مزدک خوب است من هم فکر ميکردم مزدک خودش مي آيد و همه چيز را مي گويد که قضيه چي بود و کي زده. نميدانستم تمام کرده. در کلانتري همه چيز را گفتم واقعيت را گفتم. بعد مرا به آگاهي که بردند آنجا اينقدر کتک زدند که گفتم من قاتل هستم. يک افسر آگاهي بود که به من گفت به تو ملاقات ميدهم خانواده ات را ببيني به آنها بگو 7 ميليون تومان بياورند ما مي نويسيم قتل دسته جمعي بوده. اما خانواده من توان مالي نداشتند. 28 روز در آگاهي هر روز کتک ميخوردم. شب هاي سرد زمستان بود روي من آب مي ريختند و مرا بيرون برده و با تسمه مي زدند. حتي براي بازجويي صحنه، افسر آگاهي به من گفت اگر غير از اين چيزهايي که مي گوييم بگويي دوباره همين جا برميگردي و کتک ميخوري. مي گفت تو جوجه اي و ما افرادي را به حرف آورده ايم که يک منطقه را مي بندند. فقط ميخواستند انگار پرونده را ببندند.

دقيقا همان رفتاري که با بزرگسالان مي کردند با من ميکردند. فقط بعد از 28 روز کتک خوردن در آگاهي، مرا به کانون تربيت و اصلاح فرستادند و اين تنها تفاوت بود. اصلا نه بلد بودم چه بايد بگويم و نه ميدانستم چه جوري از خودم دفاع کنم. 28 روز، دستبند و پابند داشتم پشت پايم زخم شده بود و راه که مي رفتم خون مي آمد. روز پنجم يا ششم مرا به دادگاه بردند تا مي خواستم حرفي بزنم قاضي مي گفت زر نزن. پدرم هم مدام مي گفت هيچي نگو، فقط بگو اشتباه کردم و معذرت ميخواهم. من هم سرم را انداخته بودم پايين و ديگر هيچي نمي گفتم قاضي مي گفت حکم را قبول داري؟ هيچ نگفتم و بعد حکم قصاص صادر کرد. يعني دهسال زندان از جنبه عمومي جرم و قصاص.

چرا وکيل داشتم وکيلم مي گفت که اين پرونده قصاص مي گيرد و در دادگاه گفت که من نمي توانم دفاع کنم و استعفا داد. وکيلم همشهري پدر مزدک بود و پدرم فکر ميکرد او مي تواند کمک کند رضايت بگيريم. پدرم به جاي اينکه دنبال اثبات بي گناهي من باشد دنبال رضايت گرفتن از شاکي بود. خب رضايت گرفتن از شاکي خيلي مهم است اما هيچ کس توجهي نميکرد که من چقدر نقش داشتم؟ نقش ديگران چقدر بود و.... حکم قصاص صادر کردند و...
ميلاد هم جرم من، که با من بازداشت شده بود همان همان روزهاي اول آزاد شد. توي آگاهي دو مرد ريشو آمدند از امر به معروف و نهي از منکر بودند خب ميلاد عضو بسيج بود و کمکش کردند او آزاد شد. (روز آنلاين – 5/2/90)