Execution of 3 'Security' Prisoners in Zahedan; Human Rights Sources: They Were Forced to Confess Under Torture

The head of the judiciary in Sistan and Baluchestan province announced the execution of three security prisoners accused of collaborating with opposition groups in various locations in Zahedan. Meanwhile, 'informed sources' told the 'Halosh' website that the executed individuals were tortured during detention and forced to make confessions against themselves. Ali Mostafavi-Nia, the head of the judiciary in Sistan and Baluchestan, emphasized that the 'Revolutionary Court' sentenced the defendants to death on charges of 'membership in the Jaish al-Adl group, corruption on earth through participation in the terrorist act of bombing two police stations in Zahedan, and participation in the terrorist act of bombing in the path of a police patrol vehicle.' According to this judicial official, the request for retrial by the convicts was rejected by the Supreme Court. In this regard, the 'Halosh' news website reported that these 'Baluch' prisoners were severely tortured in the detention center of the IRGC in Zahedan and forced to confess against themselves. The Baluch Activists Campaign, another human rights organization, also reported on the 'torture' of the defendants during detention. The head of the judiciary in Sistan and Baluchestan mentioned the execution of these prisoners 'in various locations in Zahedan,' indicating that these executions were carried out 'in public.' This issue has been severely criticized by human rights organizations and the United Nations, which has called on the Islamic Republic to end public executions. According to 'Halosh,' the 'Baluch Activists Campaign,' and the 'HRANA' website, the three Baluch citizens are Mohammad Karim Barkzai Akson, Mohammad Barahoui Anjmani, and Idris Bilrani, who were each sentenced to death and 15 years in prison by the second branch of the Revolutionary Court in Zahedan on March 5, 2022. HRANA, as the news organ of the 'Human Rights Activists in Iran,' reported in March 2022 that these individuals were accused of membership in opposition groups and what the court termed 'terrorist actions.' HRANA emphasized that there is still no information on the specifics of the charges against these individuals and the details of the judicial process. It was announced that these individuals were arrested by security forces in September 2020 and eventually transferred to Zahedan prison. According to the 'Baluch Activists Campaign,' these defendants were held in Zahedan prison for 18 months without a clear status. Observers believe that the increase in executions in Sistan and Baluchestan is related to the intensification of crackdowns on protest Fridays in Zahedan. Reports of executions in Iran also indicate that as global public opinion became engaged in the war in Gaza, the Islamic Republic intensified executions. The trend of executions in Iran accelerated after the protests of 2022, and according to published statistics, executions in Iran have seen a significant increase. According to the 2022 annual report of the Baluch Activists Campaign, a total of 103 reports of executions were received by this 'campaign,' of which at least 179 Baluch prisoners and three foreign nationals were executed, accounting for more than one-third of all executions in the country. In this context, the 'Human Rights Activists in Iran' on Monday, October 9, coinciding with October 10 'World Day Against the Death Penalty,' published a report on the number of executions between October 9, 2022, and October 7, 2023, stating that at least '659 individuals' were executed in various regions of Iran 'by hanging,' which 'represents an increase of about 24 percent compared to the same period last year.'