250 Political and Civil Activists Demand Immediate Abolition of Death Penalty in Iran

In light of a new wave of arrests and death sentences issued by the Islamic Republic, 250 political and civil activists have published a call demanding the "immediate abolition of all forms of capital punishment, execution, retribution, and the prohibition of all forms of psychological and physical torture" in Iran. They also called for the unconditional and immediate release of all political prisoners, the decriminalization of political, trade union, and civil activities, and public trials for those responsible for suppressing popular protests. The call, a copy of which was provided to the Persian section of Voice of America, references the arrest of tens of thousands of protesters during recent nationwide protests, the issuance of death sentences, and the execution of some of these sentences for detained protesters, including Habib Asiyud, Youssef Mehrad, and Sadrollah Fazeli Zare. It mentions that at least forty-two other prisoners are also at risk of execution. The statement also notes that "the machinery of crime and murder of the Islamic regime of Iran has never stopped during its 44-year rule" and refers to the "massacre of protesters in Kurdistan, Turkmen Sahra, Khuzestan, Sistan and Baluchestan, and other cities in Iran." The signatories also highlighted the "harassment, arrest, torture, and execution of Baha'is and other dissidents, the massacre of political prisoners in the 1980s, the mass execution of political prisoners in the summer of 1988, the political murders of activists and writers in chain murders, the killing of protesters during street protests in 1999, 2009, January 2018, November 2019, and the Jina uprising in 2022 and 2023, stoning of women for having sexual relations outside of marriage, arrest, torture, and execution of LGBTQ+ community members, the assassination of political opponents abroad, and the intentional downing of the Ukrainian plane" as evidence of "the brutality of one of the most criminal regimes of the last half-century" in the world. Among the signatories are Hamid Asifi, Victoria Azad, Behnam Ebrahimi Zadeh, Mina Ahadi, Asghar Izadi, Parvin Ardalan, Monireh Baradaran, Mansoureh Behkish, Reza Paya, and Shoaleh Pakrovan, who condemned the "crimes and, relying on powerful social movements," demanded action against death sentences. The signatories called for cooperation and unity among all "freedom-seeking and equality-seeking activists" as well as all political, social, and civil forces. Other signatories include Parisa Pouyandeh, Mitra Pouyandeh, Saeed Tabrizi, Hamid Taghvaei, Hossein Tosli, Amjad Hosseinpanahi, Nasim Khaksar, Mina Khani, Soheila Dalavand, Shahla Daneshfar, Mehrdad Darvishpour, Raheleh Rahimi Pour, Hassan Zahtab, Ghazaleh Sharmeh, Mohammad Safavi, Shiva Ameli Rad, Reza Alameh Zadeh, Mahbubeh Farahzadi, Sedigheh Malaki Fard, Shiva Mahbubi, Yadi Mahmoudi, and Kambiz Norouz Zadeh. Saeed Tabrizi told Voice of America about the issuance of death sentences in Iran: "The Jina uprising shook the foundations of the Islamic regime in Iran, and the Islamic regime, considering the popular protests in Iran and the continuous roar of protesters around the world, did not dare to execute prisoners, but after the relative decline of these protests, it has set up gallows and executions across Iran." Mr. Tabrizi believes that the Islamic Republic wants to take revenge on protesters in Iran and, on the other hand, aims to instill fear in society through the use of executions. He emphasized that "it is necessary to once again tighten the space on this regime globally, so that it cannot easily use the tools of repression, torture, and execution in Iran." This political activist pointed to "the election of a representative of the medieval regime of the Islamic Republic as the head of the Social Assembly of the UN Human Rights Council and the regional collusions by the regime" and added that "the criminal regime of the Islamic Republic has taken a breath and intends to attack the popular uprising." Regarding the purpose of drafting and signing the statement, Saeed Tabrizi said that their message is "that we keep the ground hot under your feet, and by supporting our dear protesters in Iran, we will not allow you to kill them in silence and condemn them to torture and imprisonment." Mr. Tabrizi added regarding the demands of the signatories: "The important point here is our insistence and the charter of minimum demands for the immediate abolition of the death penalty based on the accepted principle in the civilized and free world. That dissidents should not be arrested, tortured, and condemned, let alone killed." He added: "We not only demand the immediate abolition of the death penalty for dissidents, which we consider a medieval practice, but we also believe that this state-sanctioned killing should be abolished for non-political and criminal offenders as well. This is emphasized in the charter of minimum demands of twenty labor and professional organizations, and for this reason, we are supporters and defenders of this flag of the struggles of workers, teachers, students, and retirees." In this context, criticizing the "approval of the killing of Habib Asiyud, an Arab political activist" in social media, the signatories intend to expand this "campaign outside of Iran to garner support for their loved ones in prison." The mothers of the grieving families in Sanandaj, with the slogan "No to Execution," demanded the abolition of the death sentence for the protesters in the "Isfahan House case." Mohammad Oliaei-Fard: The Islamic Republic uses execution as a political tool. Special program: The establishment of gallows; a ruthless display of power in the Islamic Republic. Robert Malley in response to the possibility of executing three protesters in Iran: The regime has not learned from the protests. The request of the defendants in the "Isfahan House case" from the "people of Iran" did not go unanswered; protesters gathered. The Iranian Writers' Association called for the cessation of the "repression machine of the Islamic Republic." Taghi Rahmani: Iranians abroad should continue to be the voice of the people inside.