Public Execution in Daylam; Iran Human Rights Organization: The World Should Not Ignore These 'Crimes'

The judiciary of the Islamic Republic executed a prisoner in public on charges of killing two police officers at the coastal park of Daylam in Bushehr province. This execution, which took place early Sunday, June 18, is the second public execution in Iran this year. The Iran Human Rights Organization expressed concern on Tuesday, June 19, about the 'return of public executions to the streets,' stating that if 'Iranian society and the international community' do not respond appropriately, a 'wrong message' will be sent to the Islamic Republic that it has 'a free hand in committing this public crime.' Mahmoud Amiri-Moghaddam, the director of this organization, emphasized that 'the international community should not tolerate medieval punishments such as public executions in 2023,' adding that 'countries that have diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic, especially those negotiating with this government, should not overlook these crimes.' Mohammad Amin Khaliji, the deputy governor of Daylam in Bushehr province, told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) that one of the police command staff was killed by gunfire on April 28, 2022, in the port of 'Imam Hassan' in Daylam, and another officer was wounded and died in the hospital on April 12. Haidar Sousani, the police chief of Bushehr province, previously stated that an 'armed thief' fled after shooting at officers and was later 'injured and arrested by police gunfire.' Recently, the Islamic Republic also executed a prisoner in public in the city of Maragheh in East Azerbaijan province. Pegah Bani Hashemi, a lawyer, described this action by the judiciary as a 'heinous punishment' devoid of any deterrent effect on society, which has 'permanent negative consequences.' Previously, sociologist Saeed Piyavandi stated in an interview that the execution of defendants in Iran is 'continuing the government's policies in the streets of Iran.' The number of executions in Iran has increased since the beginning of this year on various charges, and the Islamic Republic executed three more protesters in Isfahan in recent days. Mohammad Hashemi, a cousin of Majid Kazemi, one of the executed protesters, told Voice of America that government officials secretly buried him after the execution and have also detained his brothers while cutting off his father's retirement benefits. Amnesty International has described the tripling of drug-related executions in Iran as 'shameful,' reporting that since the beginning of the year, 173 people have been executed under the pretext of drug offenses, most of whom did not receive a fair trial. Raha Bahreini, a researcher on Iran at Amnesty International, previously stated that the Islamic Republic has many people on death row and that global pressure to counter this must increase.