Death Sentence of Kermanshah Environmental Officer Upheld by Supreme Court
Reports from Iran indicate that the Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of a Kermanshah environmental officer who was convicted of killing an “illegal hunter.”
The ISNA and Hrana news agencies reported on Tuesday, December 21, that Farrokhmand Najafi was previously sentenced to death by the Third Criminal Court of Kermanshah, and this sentence has now been upheld by the Supreme Court.
Mr. Najafi is accused of shooting one of four illegal hunters who entered the Bisotun protected area in Kermanshah on August 5, 2020, during an altercation, resulting in the hunter’s death.
Jamshid Mohebatkhani, commander of the protection unit of Iran’s Environmental Protection Organization, stated that the upholdal of Mr. Najafi’s sentence occurred despite judicial pursuits and efforts by supporters of the environmental officer’s case.
He expressed hope that with “the efforts of the head of the Environmental Protection Organization and the cooperation of the head of the judiciary,” the grounds for review and reconsideration of this sentence would be provided.
Meanwhile, the Judicial Branch Media Center stated that “the killing did not occur in the protected area and the individuals who were shot were not armed.”
According to Iran’s judiciary, “the Kermanshah environmental officer opened fire in a residential area that posed no threat to him and his colleagues, committing murder.”
The center added that “judicial measures are being taken to obtain the consent of the victim’s heirs.”
Environmental officers are responsible for protecting wildlife, particularly against illegal hunters in protected areas and forests.
In the past three decades, at least 119 environmental officers have been killed and approximately 370 others have been wounded in Iran. Some environmental officers have also been executed for shooting and killing illegal hunters.
Source: Radio Farda
