Reactions Continue to the Possible Execution of 4 Political Prisoners in Ahvaz; A Human Rights Organization: This Punishment is Governmental Murder

Reactions to the news of the possible execution of 4 political prisoners in Ahvaz continue from civil activists and human rights organizations. In the latest response, the Iran Human Rights Campaign announced on Wednesday, October 25, that "Ali Majdam, Mohammad Reza Moghadam, Adnan Mousavi, and Moein Khonfari, 4 Arab political prisoners sentenced to death, have been transferred to solitary confinement in Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz," warning that "they may be secretly hanged at any moment." This human rights organization pointed out that these political prisoners were arrested in 2017 and 2018 in various cities of Iran on charges of participating in the murder of 4 members of the Islamic Republic's security forces and were tried in "unfair and secret courts, without adhering to fair trial principles, including the right to access a chosen lawyer," and sentenced to death. The Iran Human Rights Campaign emphasized that "the death penalty is considered governmental murder, and any confession obtained under pressure or torture is not only invalid but the perpetrators must be identified and held accountable." Golrokh Iraei: To abolish the death penalty, we must oppose it comprehensively. The page attributed to Golrokh Iraei, a political prisoner imprisoned in Evin Prison, wrote on the social media platform "X" on Wednesday: "To fight against the brutal death penalty, we cannot only react to political executions or death sentences issued for our political allies." She emphasized: "To abolish the death penalty, we must condemn every death sentence, even for a criminal whose crime seems horrific to us." Ms. Iraei added: "What is certain is that the Islamic Republic has institutionalized a perspective in society that goes beyond the spread of poverty, corruption, and misery. Despite the increase in execution statistics, a significant portion of society still does not show sensitivity to it, and a large percentage of society reacts based on crimes, nationality, ethnicity, and gender of the condemned, as well as existing political and ideological contradictions or alignments." This political prisoner added: "The contradiction in facing death sentences and turning those condemned to death into insiders and outsiders only leads to the destruction of what we have built. Considering criteria in response to death sentences that will undoubtedly soften the atmosphere in favor of the suppressors and murderers is more despicable than systematic murder." She wrote: "If in response to hearing 'someone was executed' we ask 'for what,' it means accepting the death sentence for those individuals whose guilt does not fit into our equations, and we consider the government entitled to kill them." The prisoners were told: read your shahada. Reima Shir Mohammad, a human rights activist residing in Spain, wrote on Wednesday on social media X, quoting what she called "news received from Shayban Prison in Ahvaz," that Moein Khonfari and Mohammad Reza Moghadam announced in a short one-minute call with their families that they had been told to "read their shahada." Daniela Sepehri, a journalist and human rights activist in Germany, also referred to the danger of execution for Ali Majdam, Moein Khonfari, Adnan Mousavi, and Mohammad Reza Moghadam, urging countries around the world to take action to prevent their execution. Mohammad Sadegh Kaboudvand, the secretary of the Kurdistan Human Rights Organization, also expressed hope that "with the request of awakened consciences, the execution of these four Arab prisoners will be halted." Earlier, the legal advisory group "Dadban" wrote: "It seems that given the wartime conditions in the Islamic Republic, pressure on political prisoners has increased, and it seeks to create an atmosphere of terror and fear in society by carrying out death sentences, thereby preventing a possible uprising of the people." Dadban, citing reports from human rights organizations, stated that "the trial process of these defendants was unfair because confessions were obtained from these citizens under conditions that are unclear and their credibility is questionable." Protests in Stockholm, Sweden, calling for the complete abolition of the death penalty in Iran. Holding "Protest Saturdays" in several German cities in response to executions in Iran. Mazdak Azar: The violation of Sharifeh Mohammadi's death sentence is the result of the tireless efforts of activists. Execution of 7 individuals in Iran; one prisoner executed based on "Qasameh" due to lack of evidence. A warning from a human rights organization: Mohammad Reza Izizi, a child-offender imprisoned in Shiraz, faces the death penalty. 100-day deprivation of Pakhshan Izizi from meeting with defense lawyers and family. The campaign "No to Execution Tuesdays": 36 individuals, including two children, were executed in the past seven days. A letter from Varisheh Moradi from Evin: Let us not allow the massacres of the 60s to be repeated. The UN Special Rapporteur called for unrestricted access to human rights resources in Iran.