Nazanin Boniadi Calls for Halt to Executions in Iran in Support of Amnesty International Campaign

Nazanin Boniadi, an actress and human rights activist, published a message on her social media account supporting the campaign by Amnesty International, calling for a halt to executions in Iran. In her message, she shared Amnesty International's request for protest letters to be sent to the Iranian embassy at the European Union headquarters in Belgium. These protest letters are addressed to Mohseni Ejei and urge the head of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic to immediately stop the execution of imprisoned protesters in Iran. Boniadi also shared part of the text of Amnesty International's protest letter along with a link to the online campaign. The letter states: "At least seven people in Iran have been sentenced to death in connection with nationwide protests, and dozens more are at risk of execution." She continued: "The Iranian government has deprived protesters of their right to a fair trial and has subjected many to torture and other ill-treatment such as flogging, electric shocks, and threats of death and sexual violence." The actress and human rights activist added: "Amidst the increase in executions since late April, on May 19, Iranian authorities arbitrarily executed three tortured protesters named Majid Kazemi, Saeed Yaqoubi, and Saleh Mirhashimi, who were wrongfully convicted, in Isfahan." Amnesty International has called on everyone to send this text or their own protest letters to the Iranian embassy at the European Union headquarters in Belgium, demanding a halt to executions in Iran. The text is in English, but according to the organization, protest letters can be sent in any language to the Iranian embassy in the EU. The organization wants protest letters to be sent by July 23. Majid Kazemi, Saeed Yaqoubi, and Saleh Mirhashimi were executed on the morning of May 19. These three were accused of killing two Basij members and a police officer, which they and their families have repeatedly denied. The three defendants also stated that they were forced to make televised confessions after extensive torture. A U.S. State Department spokesperson previously stated in response to a written inquiry from the Persian section of Voice of America regarding the Biden administration's reaction to the execution of the three defendants in the Isfahan case: "We condemn the execution of Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashimi, and Saeed Yaqoubi by the Iranian regime in the strongest possible terms and stand in solidarity with the families of these three individuals." The spokesperson stated: "As we have said before, the regime's behavior shows that it has learned nothing from the protests that began last September. It is no surprise that many young people in Iran are calling for change or are leaving the country in droves."