Reza Mohammadi: The Government Must Be Held Accountable for the Deaths of Political Prisoners

Reza Mohammadi, a political prisoner held in Qazalhasar prison, protested against the "deceptive human rights display" by the judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic, calling for accountability regarding the "dark record of these crimes" by naming some political prisoners who have died in prisons. This political prisoner criticized the visit of the director general and officials of the Tehran provincial prisons organization to Qazalhasar on Wednesday, describing the action as a "deceptive human rights display under the shadow of the execution and torture machine." In a statement, Reza Mohammadi, a founding member of the "No to Execution Tuesdays" campaign, stated that "Heshmatollah Hayatolghayeb, the director general of Tehran prisons, visited the slaughterhouse and torture chamber of the Rajai-Shahr and Qazalhasar joint prison on Wednesday, February 10, 1403." According to Mr. Mohammadi, "This visit took place while the execution machine of the Islamic Republic continues its work without interruption, solitary confinement cells have become tools for the psychological and physical torture of prisoners, and systematic killings in the prisons of this government continue. But will this deceptive display change the situation of thousands of suffering and tortured prisoners?" Reza Mohammadi warned about the "suppression of prisoners, the existence of illegal safe houses, and the dire conditions of prisons in the provinces." He emphasized that "the Islamic Republic continues to torture and suppress not only in official prisons but also in illegal safe houses and secret detention centers." He stressed that the situation of prisons in many cities, from Mashhad, Urmia, Zahedan, and Ahvaz to other parts of Iran, is catastrophic. The prisons in these cities have turned into torture chambers where even the most basic needs of prisoners, including medical and health care, are ignored. Prisoners in these centers are not only deprived of their legal rights but are also subjected to continuous torture and inhumane conditions. Mr. Mohammadi, referring to the "propaganda display" of the prison officials' visit to Qazalhasar, called for accountability regarding the deaths of political prisoners as a "dark record of crime" and added, "Before the government tries to present itself as a supporter of human rights through propaganda displays, it must first be accountable for the systematic killings of political prisoners in past years." This constitutionalist political prisoner emphasized that "the Islamic Republic must explain how prisoners like Vahid Sayadi Nasiri – who died due to a hunger strike and lack of medical care, Alireza ShirMohammadi – who was killed in Greater Tehran prison by government agents, Adel Kianpour – who lost his life after a hunger strike protesting prison conditions, Sattar Beheshti – who was killed under torture in the cyber police detention center, Baktash Abtin – a poet and documentarian who died due to medical negligence and lack of timely care, Sasan Niknefs – who was killed due to physical torture and lack of medical treatment, Shahin Naseri – who died in prison as a witness to the torture of Navid Afkari, and dozens of other prisoners who fell victim to the repressive system of the Islamic Republic" lost their lives. This political prisoner also stated, "A regime that has silenced the people of Iran with bullets, torture, executions, and repression cannot now portray itself as a reformer and defender of human rights," and "the era of deception and repression is over." Mr. Mohammadi emphasized that "these human rights displays not only do not diminish the crimes of the Islamic Republic but have only one goal: to cover up years of widespread human rights violations, suppression of dissent, and the illegal survival of the government." He also stressed that "the Iranian people, who have experienced repression, torture, and crime for 46 years, will no longer be fooled by these propaganda tricks," and "all agents of this regime, from top to bottom, must know that with worn-out methods, staged visits, and false propaganda, they cannot prevent the complete transition of the Iranian people from this corrupt, incompetent, and criminal government." The visit of prison officials to Qazalhasar coincided with the anniversary of the launch of the "No to Execution Tuesdays" campaign. Over the past year, the judiciary of the Islamic Republic has executed hundreds of prisoners in various cities across Iran, and the number of executions has alarmingly increased. Mahmoud Amiri Moghadam, the director of Iran Human Rights Organization, has considered the "No to Execution Tuesdays" campaign a turning point in the struggles of the Iranian people.