Javad Larijani's Protest Against UN Statement on Execution of 20 Prisoners in Iran

The Secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters of Iran's Judiciary sent a letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressing his objection to her statement regarding the execution of several Sunni prisoners and called the claim of their torture "baseless and unrealistic." According to a report by the state news agency IRNA on Sunday, August 7, Mohammad Javad Larijani wrote to Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, that her statement "does not align with any international human rights documents" and "issues incorrect signals to terrorists." He also claimed that in the Islamic Republic, "no individual is ever punished because of their religion, sect, or ethnicity." Larijani's remarks come at a time when human rights activists accuse the Islamic Republic of discrimination against Sunnis, citing their exclusion from certain high positions and their lack of a mosque in Tehran. The Islamic Republic does not recognize certain sects, such as the Baha'i faith, and in recent years, several adherents of this faith have been arrested and sentenced to long prison terms. In his letter, the Secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters of the Judiciary also accused the executed individuals of actions such as "the assassination of Maulavi Borhan Ali, a Sunni cleric, and Maulavi Sheikh Al-Islam," "acquiring various military weapons and constructing over 50 ready-to-explode bombs," "committing several armed robberies from jewelry stores in the cities of Qorveh, Zanjan, and Hamadan," and killing "several environmental guards in Kurdistan province." Larijani stated that the actions of this group led to the deaths of "21 individuals" and injuries to "about 40 people" in the cities of Sanandaj, Qorveh, Hamadan, and Zanjan. According to Iranian judiciary officials, on Tuesday, August 2, 20 members of the "Tawhid and Jihad" group were executed in Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj. Previously, officials from the judiciary and the Ministry of Intelligence had made similar accusations against the executed individuals as those raised by Larijani. Most of these individuals have denied these accusations and have stated in videos and writings released from them that they had been in "solitary confinement" and "under torture" for long periods. For instance, Shahram Ahmadi, one of the executed individuals, stated that he had been in solitary confinement for 33 months, was sentenced to death in a "five-minute" trial, and was "not allowed to defend himself or access a lawyer." The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also described the execution of these Sunni prisoners in her statement as a "great injustice" and expressed doubt about their access to a fair trial. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein also referred to Shahram Ahmadi's case, stating that he was "forced under pressure and coercion to sign an interrogation document that contained his false confessions." However, the Secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters of the Judiciary dismissed the claims made in this statement regarding Shahram Ahmadi as "completely baseless and unrealistic." Larijani accused Shahram Ahmadi of "possessing 4 Kalashnikov rifles," "carrying 3 Kalashnikov rifles," and "participating" in an armed attack on the special forces of the police in Sanandaj, which resulted in the deaths of "two personnel and injuries to five others." It has been rare for Iranian officials to respond to UN officials' statements regarding human rights violations in Iran with letters or to publish these letters. In recent days, several human rights organizations, including the Human Rights Defenders Association and the International Federation for Human Rights, have also condemned the execution of these Sunni prisoners in separate statements.