Iranian Writers Association Calls for Halt to the 'Repressive Machine of the Islamic Republic'

The Iranian Writers Association issued a statement urging human rights defenders and like-minded organizations worldwide to explicitly express their opposition to the new wave of executions in Iran and to mobilize all their resources to stop the 'repressive machine of the Islamic Republic.' The statement reads: 'As the people's freedom movement gains momentum, the government's repression machine has been activated to such an extent that it seems no one who has voiced opposition will remain unharmed by the government's crackdown. In a short time, many protesters, political and civil activists, and ideological opponents have been imprisoned and tried behind closed doors, without the presence of their chosen lawyers, based on baseless charges, and their sentences have been executed one after another without delay.' The statement emphasizes: 'It is not an exaggeration to say that few political and civil organizations remain that have not been affected by the repression, with several of their members imprisoned or facing summons, interrogations, and threats. The criminalization of expressing opinions, which has existed since the inception of the Islamic Republic, has once again led to arrests and heavy sentences, culminating last week in the execution of Seyyed Sadrollah Fazeli Zare and Yousef Mehrad, two political prisoners.' The Iranian Writers Association further clarified: 'The noose that the government placed around the necks of these two is the same noose that took the lives of protesters like Mohsen Shekari, Majidreza Rahnavard, Mohammad Mehdi Karami, Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini, and other executed individuals of the recent freedom movement; the same noose that threatens to fall around the necks of imprisoned protesters Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashimi, and Saeed Yaqoubi. Undoubtedly, the wave of opposition to executions, which has so far delayed the implementation of sentences for these three, must become a permanent, persistent, and daily process.' As the danger of execution rises for three young imprisoned protesters in Isfahan, many human rights activists, opponents of the Islamic Republic, and civil organizations inside and outside the country are calling for the halt of this sentence and all death sentences that have been issued unjustly and without judicial fairness. According to Amnesty International, in 2022, Iran continued to use the death penalty as a tool for political repression and disproportionately executed members of ethnic minorities as part of a long-standing and deep-rooted policy of discrimination and repression against these groups. The report states that the increase in recorded executions worldwide was mainly due to a significant rise in executions in the Middle East and North Africa, a region where the number of executions increased by 59% from 520 executions last year to 825 in 2022, with 70% of these carried out in Iran. The mothers of the victims in Sanandaj, chanting 'No to Execution,' called for the cancellation of the death sentences for the protesters in the 'Isfahan House Case.' An urgent gathering of Iranians took place in front of the UN headquarters in Vienna; the roads leading to Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan were blocked on May 17. 'We need your support,' was the message from three protesters sentenced to death in the 'Isfahan House Case.' Taghi Rahmani stated that Iranians abroad should continue to be the voice of the people inside. On the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, the slogan was 'Always Together, United in Diversity.' Two human rights organizations called for immediate action from the international community to stop the executions of three imprisoned protesters in Iran. The three sentenced protesters in the 'Isfahan House Case' urged the public: 'Do not let them kill us.'