IHRNGO Calls for Clemency to Save Singaporean-Iranian Masoud Rahimi Mehrzad from Execution in Singapore

According to Transformative Justice Collective (TJC), a 34-year-old dual-national named Masoud Rahimi Mehrzad is at imminent risk of execution in Changi Prison in Singapore. He was arrested for drug-related offences on 20 May 2010 when he was 20 years old. He was sentenced to death for possession of 31 grams of diamorphine and 77 grams of methamphetamine for the purposes of trafficking. Born in Singapore to an Iranian father and Singaporean mother, Masoud was taken to Iran by his father as a small child after his parents’ divorce where he completed his primary education and later moved to Dubai with his family where he attended secondary school. At 17, he returned to Singapore to serve his compulsory National Service despite his father’s attempts to defer until he was old enough to cope with such a drastic change. 

TJC have outlined several flaws in Masoud’s case. First, his original statement to the police that he suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Anxiety Disorder was not included in the original court documents. Second, he has an ongoing complaint against “the lawyer who handled his criminal review application in respect of unlawfully forwarded prison correspondence” that prejudiced his case. Third, that he is currently “representing 36 death row prisoners in a constitutional challenge that has a hearing set for 20 January 2025.”

Furthermore, the notice of execution does not grant enough time for his family to obtain Singapore visas to say goodbye to Masoud. Iran Human Rights stands with his family and the Transformative Justice Collective in calling on President Tharman to pardon Masoud Rahimi Mehrzad.