Reactions to the Execution of Kamran Sheikhe: 'Extrajudicial Killing' and 'Illegal'; The Islamic Republic Must Be Held Accountable

The execution of Kamran Sheikhe, a Sunni political prisoner accused of participating in the murder of an imam, has sparked reactions on social media, with some users calling the act 'extrajudicial killing' that is 'illegal' even according to the laws of the Islamic Republic. Kamran Sheikhe, a Sunni prisoner and the last of seven accused in the case of the murder of Imam Abdul Rahim Tina, was executed early Thursday morning, July 25, in Urmia prison. The six previous defendants in this case—Ghasem Abasteh, Ayoub Karimi, Farhad Salimi, Davood Abdollahi, Anvar Khazari, and Khosrow Basharat—had been executed in recent months for their alleged involvement in the murder of Abdul Rahim Tina in 2009, making Kamran Sheikhe the last defendant executed in connection with this case. The execution of Kamran Sheikhe has triggered widespread reactions on social media. Ibrahim Allahbakhshi, a human rights activist, noted the pressure on the last defendant in this case and wrote on social media X addressing Kamran Sheikhe: 'Your friends were taken one by one before your eyes and executed; you would have certainly been executed before them.' Alia Matlabi, a journalist and former political prisoner, also emphasized that the seven defendants in one case were executed one by one after 15 years of imprisonment. Mahmoud Amiri Moghaddam, director of Iran Human Rights, stated that Kamran Sheikhe was 'sentenced to death after torture in a completely unfair trial based on false accusations.' According to this human rights activist, 'the execution of Kamran Sheikhe, like the execution of his six co-defendants, is illegal under international law and even under the laws of the Islamic Republic and constitutes extrajudicial killing.' Mr. Amiri Moghaddam also stressed: 'Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, and other officials of the corrupt judiciary must be held accountable for this crime.' Arash Sadeghi, a former political prisoner and human rights activist who spent some time in prison with the seven defendants, recalled just hours before Kamran Sheikhe's execution that he 'always sang Kurdish songs during yard time, for his mother, for Kurdistan, for Lake Zarivar,' adding that Kamran Sheikhe 'missed all of them.' Mr. Sadeghi emphasized that Kamran Sheikhe and his six co-defendants were 'neither terrorists nor murderers,' but 'they were souls in love with life.' Arsalan Ahmadi, another activist who reacted to Kamran Sheikhe's execution, called Masoud Pezeshkian a 'criminal,' recalling that the new head of the Islamic Republic government had stated 'I was born in Mahabad' before his appointments, and two weeks after his appointment, Kamran Sheikhe's execution was carried out, along with a death sentence for 'Pakhshan Aziz, an activist from Mahabad,' and the 'extrajudicial killing of Ahmad Terman by government agents in Mahabad.' Kaveh Kermanshahi, a human rights activist, stated: 'Today, with the execution of Kamran Sheikhe, this case has been closed for the Islamic Republic. However, another case for justice has opened.' Ladan Bazargan, a plaintiff regarding the execution of political prisoners in the 1980s, said: 'The news of Kamran Sheikhe's execution after 15 years in prison was a huge blow, especially as we were celebrating the release of Mr. Javid Rahman's report, the UN Special Rapporteur.' She added: 'Imagine how we felt from July 1981 to July 1982 when the regime of ignorance and madness executed an average of 10 people daily and proudly published their names as 'rebels, insurgents, corrupt on earth, combatants, opponents, and hypocrites.' Ladan Bazargan also emphasized that 'if we remain silent, if we are afraid, if we become indifferent, if we become depressed or disheartened, the machine of repression and execution of this demonic regime will take more lives from us.' Previously, Javid Rahman, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, had detailed the executions of political prisoners in the 1980s in Iran, emphasizing that the 'brutal crimes' of the Islamic Republic are the 'most egregious human rights violations' and are 'alive in our memory.' Kamran Sheikhe and six other defendants in this case were sentenced to death by the 15th branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court on charges of 'murdering' Abdul Rahim Tina, and this sentence was confirmed by the 41st branch of the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic, presided over by Ali Razini. The intensification of executions by the Islamic Republic in Iran has raised concerns among human rights organizations. According to reports from human rights sources, in recent days, judicial officials of the Islamic Republic have executed several prisoners, including 30-year-old Daniel Kazemi, accused of 'murdering a Basij member' in Dizelabad prison in Kermanshah. Human rights organizations and activists have previously warned about the possibility of executing several political prisoners, including Reza Rasayi, Mojahid Korkor, Habib Daris, and Abbas Daris, who were arrested during past protests. The judiciary of the Islamic Republic has recently sentenced Sharifeh Mohammadi and Pakhshan Aziz, two Kurdish citizens, to death on charges of 'rebellion,' which has also faced widespread critical reactions from activists and human rights organizations.