Exclusive; The U.S. Condemns the Execution of the 'Isfahan House' Defendants: 'We Share the Grief of Their Families'

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, in a written response to a question from the Persian section of Voice of America regarding the Biden administration's reaction to the execution of three defendants in the 'Isfahan House' case, stated: 'We condemn the execution of Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashimi, and Saeed Yaghoubi by the Iranian regime in the strongest possible terms, and we consider ourselves partners in the grief of the families of these three individuals.' The spokesperson noted: 'As we have said before, it is clear from this regime's behavior that it has learned nothing from the protests that began last September. It is no surprise that many young people in Iran are calling for change or are leaving the country in droves.' The U.S. State Department spokesperson emphasized: 'We once again tell the Iranian regime to stop the killings, halt the show trials, and respect the human rights of its people. Unfortunately, we do not expect it to do so. Therefore, we will continue to work closely with the world, our allies, and partners to condemn and counter such heinous human rights violations.' The Islamic Republic's execution of Saleh Mirhashimi, Majid Kazemi Sheikh Shabani, and Saeed Yaghoubi Kordesfeli, defendants in the 'Isfahan House' case, has faced severe criticism from several global political figures. Agnes Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, expressed condolences to the families and friends of the three executed protesters, calling the Islamic Republic 'unconscionable' and tweeting: 'The Islamic Republic of Iran uses the death penalty to instill fear and suppress dissent.' Hannah Neumann, a German representative in the European Parliament, tweeted multiple times, stating, 'The Iranian regime kills its own people, terrorizes an entire region, sends tons of munitions to Russia, builds nuclear bombs, and is a threat to the world.' Ms. Neumann called for an 'appropriate response' from the European Union, saying, 'What we are currently doing is not enough.' In another tweet, she referred to the high execution rates in Iran, writing: 'One execution every 6 hours and 9 executions just in May. Each number is a human being, a child, and a friend. Even if Iran becomes free one day, these individuals will not come back to life.' Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch, tweeted: 'The President of the UN Human Rights Council executed three protesters.' He opposes the appointment of an Iranian representative as the head of this council. Many have criticized Iran's participation in leading an institution aimed at promoting and protecting human rights. Yi-Wan Ri, a German parliament member, also wrote: 'They did this [execution]. They killed three more innocent people; the Iranian regime has once again proven that it is nothing but a terrorist.' Martina Renner, a German parliament member and political sponsor of Saleh Mirhashimi, one of the three executed protesters, stated she was 'shocked' by the news of his execution and feels 'anger and helplessness.' She also praised the 'courage and resistance' of the Iranian people and expressed hope to personally convey her condolences to their families in a free Iran. Theo Francken, a Belgian parliament member, wrote that three young men were executed by the 'tyrannical regime of the Ayatollahs' in Iran for protesting for freedom. He described the Islamic Republic of Iran as 'a major threat to the Middle East, the West, and world peace.' Masoud Ghara-Khani, a Norwegian parliament member of Iranian descent, expressed condolences to the families of Saeed Yaghoubi, Majid Kazemi, and Saleh Mirhashimi in a tweet, stating: 'They were executed this morning. The savagery continues. They participated in protests for freedom and democracy and were executed this morning.' Alireza Akhoundi, a Swedish parliament member, also noted the numerous requests to halt the executions, writing: 'Once again, the Islamic tyrannical republic mocked the cries of a nation yearning for freedom, which used every space to shout, 'Do not execute us.' He added: 'Our response to these criminal monsters is resilience and courage to continue the struggle for freedom.' Darya Safaei, a Belgian parliament member, described today as 'a black day' and wrote: 'The killing machine of the Islamic regime of Iran has once again executed three innocent freedom-seeking young people of the Woman-Life-Freedom revolution.' Ms. Safaei urged the world to keep their eyes on 'this criminal regime' as it 'not only makes Iran and the region unsafe but remains a significant threat to the West.' The 'British Committee for the Freedom of Iran' also strongly condemned the execution of three protesters in Iran and called on the British government to condemn the executions and hold the Islamic Republic accountable in cooperation with international allies. The statement noted that 'the recent wave of executions, which has brought the total number of executions in the past month to 112, is a blatant violation of human rights and a desperate attempt by the Iranian regime to intimidate the people and prevent their protests against its oppressive policies.' The three executed protesters were accused of killing two Basij members and a police officer. However, they and their families have repeatedly denied these accusations, stating they were forced to make televised confessions after extensive torture. The three individuals had requested help from 'the people of Iran' in a message from inside the Dashtgerd prison in Isfahan on Wednesday, 27 Ordibehesht, and social media users responded positively to this request by trending the hashtag 'Do not let them kill us.' In recent days, several political figures and human rights organizations worldwide have criticized the issuance of death sentences for Saleh Mirhashimi, Majid Kazemi Sheikh Shabani, and Saeed Yaghoubi Kordesfeli.