Continued Pressure from the Islamic Republic on Victims' Families; Arrest of Relatives for Seeking Justice

Mohammad Hashemi, cousin of Majid Kazemi, the "young man executed in the Isfahan House case," reported on Tuesday, May 23, via Twitter about the harassment of Majid's family before and after his execution. In this tweet, Mohammad Hashemi wrote: "Early in Majid's detention, they also arrested his brother Hossein and tortured him in front of Majid to force him to confess against himself. However, Majid told the security agents that he would confirm and sign whatever they said, provided they left his brother alone." He added: "When the agents were assured they had obtained confessions from Majid through torture, they released Hossein, but waited several months to execute Majid based on those false confessions, and now they have come back for his family, arresting Hossein along with Mehdi, another brother of Majid." In the end, Mohammad Hashemi referred to the Islamic Republic as the "essence of all historical vices." On Sunday, May 21, he tweeted: "Last night, security agents attacked Majid Kazemi's home and after beating his brothers and parents, arrested Majid's two brothers while they were severely injured and took them away, and Majid's sister was also arrested hours later for pursuing the matter." Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi, and Saeed Yaqoubi were executed simultaneously at dawn on the last Friday of May in Isfahan prison. The Islamic Republic accused these protesters in a case known as the "Isfahan House" of killing two Basij members and a police officer, an accusation that these three young protesters denied, stating they were forced to confess under torture. On January 13, 2023, Majid Kazemi, in a voice call from prison, told his relatives that he had been forced to confess under torture. The execution of the protesters did not stop the protests; the violent arrest of Majid Kazemi's family members continues. Majid Kazemi's cousin speaks of the pain and suffering of families: "We neither forgive nor forget." Majid Kazemi's cousin: "Khamenei! The mockery of the times! From today, we are seekers of justice, and you will regret it." Iranians gathered in Malmö, Sweden, to protest the execution of Majid Kazemi, Saeed Yaqoubi, and Saleh Mirhashemi. Amnesty International called for "immediate action" to stop executions in Iran. Political prisoners in the women's ward of Evin prison opposed the executions: "The overthrow is closer to the Islamic Republic than the jugular vein." The human rights situation in May, according to a human rights organization, showed "escalated crackdowns" and "widespread violations of freedoms." A statement from 174 civil activists declared that executions are "state-organized murder." Members of Majid Kazemi's family, among those executed in the "Isfahan House" case, were arrested after being "beaten." Exclusively, the U.S. condemned the execution of the "Isfahan House" defendants: "We share the grief of these three families."