Amnesty International Condemns Iranian Government's 'Misleading' Propaganda Regarding Execution of '25 Sunni Men'

Amnesty International condemned the Iranian government's propaganda against '25 Sunni men' sentenced to death in Iran, calling it an attempt to divert public opinion from the nature of the trials that led to the executions. The organization stated on Thursday, November 17, that 'Iranian officials are using clumsy propaganda methods to humiliate those sentenced to death in the eyes of the people of this country and to distract public attention from the flaws in the trials that led to their executions.' The statement refers to the execution of several Sunni members of the 'Tawhid and Jihad' group on August 3, a group that operates in western Iran and is labeled 'terrorist' and 'takfiri' by the authorities. Amnesty International reported that the number of executed individuals was 25, while Iranian judicial officials stated that 20 members of the 'Tawhid and Jihad' group were executed on that day. The statement regarding the Iranian government's propaganda about the executions of the 'Tawhid and Jihad' members noted that state-controlled media broadcast many 'confessions' of the executed individuals to convince public opinion that they were 'guilty,' but it cannot be hidden that the executed were tried in extremely 'unfair' courts and received death sentences. Amnesty International further stated: 'Iranian officials have a duty to bring those who carry out armed attacks and kill civilians to justice. However, there is no justification for obtaining forced confessions through torture and other inhumane treatment and then disseminating them in such a disgusting manner.' State-affiliated media in Iran published numerous confessions from the executed members of the 'Tawhid and Jihad' group last summer, including one related to Luqman Amini, who confessed to assassinating several Sunni clerics in Kurdistan. Some of the executed denied their confessions, stating that they were coerced into them under torture and in 'solitary confinement.' Additionally, Shahram Ahmadi, one of the executed, claimed he was sentenced to death in a 'five-minute' trial without the opportunity to defend himself or access a lawyer. The execution of these individuals also sparked protests from human rights groups and Molavi Abdulhamid, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, who described such actions as 'lacking tolerance and foresight.' In this context, 22 human rights organizations called for the 'immediate abolition' of the death penalty in Iran.