IRAN TO HANG POLITICAL PRISONER ON JULY 4

the death sentence of Khaled Hardani, a political prisoner since 2000, was reaffirmed on May 31, 2007. He is to be hanged July 4, 2007, according to UN officer Mr Gram. Hardani is quarantined in an undisclosed location in Raji Shahr prison, a practice which is mandated as mental torture by the UN. His Government appointed lawyer has confirmed the death sentence. He was arrested August 21, 1989 when he attempted to hijack an Iranian plane. Hardani, initially not a political prisoner, formed an underground group, APA, in prison to pass out accurate information on prison conditions. He believes it is for his political protest that he is being executed, not his crime.