Human Rights Organization Expresses Concern Over Possible Execution of 4 Political Prisoners in Ahvaz

The Iran Human Rights Organization expressed concern on Wednesday, October 17, regarding the imminent execution of four political prisoners; Ali Majdam, Moein Khonfari, Mohammad Reza Moghadam, and Adnan Ghabishavi in Ahvaz. This organization wrote on the social media platform 'X' that these political prisoners have been transferred to solitary confinement. The charges against these four prisoners and two co-defendants are 'the murder of four security agents' in Khorramshahr and Sirjan, while this human rights organization emphasizes that these 'six Arab political prisoners were sentenced to death for coerced confessions obtained under torture and on charges of 'baghi' (armed rebellion). In this context, the Karun Human Rights Organization reported that Ali Majdam, Moein Khonfari, Mohammad Reza Moghadam, and Adnan Ghabishavi were transferred from Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz to solitary confinement in Sepidar Prison on Tuesday, October 16. Additionally, UN experts have warned about a 'sharp increase in executions' in Iran, stating that these punishments are 'illegal.' The legal advisory group 'Dadban' also noted: 'It appears that given the wartime conditions in the Islamic Republic, pressure on political prisoners has increased, and there is an effort to create an atmosphere of fear and terror in society through the execution of sentences, thus preventing a potential uprising by the people.' Dadban, citing reports from human rights organizations, added that 'the trial process for these defendants has been unfair, as confessions were obtained from these citizens under circumstances that are unclear and their reliability is questionable.' Furthermore, Rina ShirMohammadi, a human rights activist residing in Spain, wrote on social media 'X' that on February 14, 2023, Branch 4 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Ahvaz sentenced 'Ali Majdam, Habib Daris, Salim Mousavi, Mohammad Reza Moghadam, Adnan Mousavi, and Moein Khonfari' to death on charges of moharebeh. According to Ms. ShirMohammadi, Judge Adibi-Mahr, head of Branch 4 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court, personally attended Sheiban Prison to inform these six political prisoners of their death sentences. Subsequently, on March 6 of the same year, the Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary of the Islamic Republic, officially announced the issuance of death sentences for these political prisoners on charges of killing two Basij members, one police officer, and one soldier. Rina ShirMohammadi noted that another charge against these political prisoners was membership in opposition groups. Accordingly, the coerced confessions of these political prisoners were obtained under torture, and among other things, intelligence agents detained several family members of these prisoners, including Ali Majdam's wife and child, to pressure him, keeping him in solitary confinement for over six months to extract a false coerced confession, which was eventually released after the publication of the coerced confession. Protests have been held in Stockholm, Sweden, calling for the complete abolition of the death penalty in Iran, and 'Protest Saturdays' have been organized in several German cities in response to the execution of sentences in Iran. Mazdak Azar stated that the violation of Sharifeh Mohammadi's death sentence is the result of the tireless efforts of activists. Pakhshan Azizi has been deprived of visits with his defense lawyers and family for 100 days. The 'No to Execution Tuesdays' campaign reported that 36 individuals, including two children, were executed in the past seven days. A letter from Varisheh Moradi from Evin: 'Let us not allow the massacres of the 1980s to be repeated.' The UN Special Rapporteur has called for unrestricted access to human rights resources in Iran. A report from a human rights organization indicates that nearly 7,000 people have been executed in the past 13 years.