Iran Human Rights Organization: The Global Community Must Work to Stop Executions in Iran

The Iran Human Rights Organization condemned the wave of executions in Iran and urged the global community to support the "Movement Against Executions in Iran" to help stop these executions. This request was made on Tuesday, November 1, coinciding with the thirty-ninth week of the "Tuesdays Against Executions" campaign for prisoners in Iran, and a gathering of families of prisoners sentenced to death and civil activists opposing executions in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. In response to the gathering, the organization stated that this protest occurred while the Islamic Republic, under the threat of war and media silence, executed at least 119 individuals in the past three weeks. Mahmoud Amiri-Moghaddam, the director of this organization, stated, "Civil protests against the death penalty in a country where 5 to 6 people are executed daily is unprecedented and must receive widespread support." He added, "People have taken to the streets to say no to executions despite the likelihood of violent repression by the Islamic Republic forces. The global community must hear the voices of the Iranian people and break their silence regarding the wave of executions in Iran." Meanwhile, the Telegram channel "Charter of Freedom, Welfare, Equality" announced on Wednesday that "in the past 20 days, over 100 male and female prisoners accused of various crimes have been executed in prisons across Iran," stating that "under the shadow of war and the warlike rhetoric of the ruling political and military leaders, the oppressive capitalism of the Islamic Republic has seized the opportunity to execute many prisoners, reminiscent of the early years of the revolution and the 1980s." According to this Telegram channel, "The silence of the ruling media in Iran and the indifference of many people towards the situation of their compatriots in prisons have increasingly emboldened the Islamic Republic to carry out executions swiftly." The Iran Human Rights Organization reported on Wednesday, November 2, the execution of four prisoners accused of "producing and distributing poisoned alcoholic beverages in Karaj" at the central prison of Karaj. The Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, reported that these prisoners were arrested in connection with the case of "producing and distributing poisoned alcoholic beverages in Karaj" and were sentenced to death for "corruption on earth through crimes against the physical integrity of individuals by distributing dangerous toxic substances (industrial methanol) in society leading to the production and distribution of alcoholic beverages resulting in death and widespread bodily harm to people (17 dead and 191 poisoned)." According to this report, there were a total of 11 defendants in this case, with the four main defendants, who were aware of the poisoning of the alcohol, sentenced to death, while the other seven defendants, who were unaware of the issue, each received 29 years in prison. Meanwhile, the Iran Human Rights Organization announced that on the morning of Monday, October 30, two men were transferred to solitary confinement in the central prison of Shiraz for execution. According to this organization, on Tuesday, two Afghan nationals were also transferred to solitary confinement in the central prison of Qom for execution. Reports indicate that these four prisoners were sentenced to qisas (execution) for "premeditated murder" in separate cases. The issuance and execution of death sentences, which have intensified in recent months, have drawn global criticism. In this context, the spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State on Tuesday, September 4, called the statistics on executions in Iran and the judicial process leading to such sentences "a matter of concern." Matthew Miller criticized the judiciary of the Islamic Republic in his daily press conference, stating that this institution is "not independent or reflective of a fair trial." The slogan "Do not execute" was chanted at a gathering in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly building, where a number of relatives of prisoners sentenced to death demanded, "Do not execute." The Shiban prison in Ahvaz joined the "Tuesdays Against Executions" campaign. Several human rights organizations have called for the immediate cancellation of the death sentences of four political prisoners in Ahvaz. Seven prisoners were executed in Tabriz, and two prisoners in Rasht and Isfahan were executed. Amnesty International Germany expressed concern over the potential execution of four political prisoners in Ahvaz. Amnesty International also criticized the death sentence of a child offender in Shiraz.