UN rights chief urges review of Iran vote death sentences

The UN human rights chief on Tuesday called on Iran's high courts to review a death sentence imposed on three people who were arrested after Iran's disputed presidential election. "There are also major concerns about the way the recent trials of opposition activists were conducted, and I hope these judgements will be reviewed carefully by the higher courts," said Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a statement.
Under international rules that Iran has signed up to, the death penalty can only be applied in circumstances involving serious crimes and after fair trials, she pointed out. The Iranian justice ministry was quoted by the ISNA news agency on Saturday as saying that the three had been sentenced to death for their role in the "post-election incidents."