Iran Human Rights Organization: Seven Executed So Far Under Pretext of Shiraz Hosseiniyeh Explosion

The Iran Human Rights Organization reported that with the execution of Jamshid Sharmard, accused of orchestrating the explosion at the Hosseiniyeh in Shiraz in 2008, seven individuals have been executed in connection with this case. In a report published on Friday, November 2, it was stated that these executions occurred under circumstances where 'the innocence of some of them is evident.' The organization emphasized that 'the execution of these seven political prisoners took place while the intentionality of this explosion has been questioned multiple times. Security officials initially declared that this explosion was not sabotage and was likely due to negligence. However, after some time, this explosion was attributed to a political group called the Iranian Monarchy Association, which promoted nationalist and anti-Islamic ideologies.' According to the report, the first group executed in relation to the Shiraz Hosseiniyeh explosion included Mohsen Eslami, 19, Ali-Asghar Pashtah, 20, both students, and Roozbeh Yahyazadeh, 32, who were executed on April 10, 2009, at the central prison of Shiraz (Adelabad). These three were denied access to a chosen lawyer during the judicial process and were subjected to forced confessions. The Iran Human Rights Organization stated, 'The second group executed in connection with this case included Arash Rahmanipour and Mohammadreza Alizamani, who were executed on January 27, 2010. At the time of their execution, the Tehran Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office announced that these two political prisoners were arrested and executed in connection with the Ashura protests of 2009. However, it soon became clear that their arrest dated back months before these protests.' According to the report, in the same month, Mohammad Javad Larijani, Secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters of the Judiciary, confirmed that Arash Rahmanipour and Mohammadreza Alizamani had been in prison months before the elections, and their charge was the bombing of the Shiraz Hosseiniyeh in April 2008. Arash Rahmanipour was under 18 at the time of the explosion and was considered a child. It was reported that Arash Rahmanipour, at the time of the explosion, was 17 years old and had confessed to this uncommitted crime after threats against his family. Another executed individual was Mehdi Eslami, who was executed solely due to his brother's political activities, without any political activity of his own. The Iran Human Rights Organization published an unpublished letter from Mehdi Eslami, in which he emphasized: 'Those who bring our enlightened youth to the gallows for sinister and pre-planned goals are not servants of God. Those who theorize for the betterment of the lives of our dear people and fight against sinister scenarios deserve chains and prison?' Mehdi Eslami wrote: 'I am one of those who, because of being a brother and out of love and instinct, have been rotting in your dungeons for years and stand before the gallows without any enmity towards God, Islam, or our dear country.' In this letter, he stated: 'I am also one of the youth of this land accused of my humanity and sacrificed for a dirty scenario and puzzle of some dark-hearted and ugly individuals who want to deepen their long-standing enmity with the people of this land and the world by killing me and attribute their enmity to dear Iran.' The letter emphasized: 'Is giving a small financial help, even to my younger brother, considered as waging war? Do you know the definition of waging war? Is giving 200,000 tomans to my younger brother considered waging war?' According to reports, evidence and documents released after Mehdi Eslami's execution proved that he was a taxi driver with no political activities and was executed solely for giving 200,000 tomans to his student brother. During the handling of the case, the Tehran Prosecutor's Office announced that Mehdi Eslami's charges were participation in the bombing of the Shiraz Hosseiniyeh and claimed that his cooperation with his brother was 'attempting to help him escape' and 'to get his brother Mohsen Eslami out.'