Risk of Execution for Mohammad Javad Vafaee; Dozens of Human Rights Activists Call for Immediate Halt to Executions in Iran

Following concerns over the potential execution of Mohammad Javad Vafaee Sani, a political prisoner, dozens of human rights experts and NGOs have urged the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to prevent the execution of 'Mohammad Javad Vafaee Sani,' a boxing champion of Iran. This letter, signed by 85 human rights defenders and international NGOs, including 'former UN officials' and 'Nobel Prize winners,' indicates that Vafaee Sani was tortured prior to receiving the death sentence on charges of 'corruption on earth.' Born in 1995, Vafaee Sani was arrested on February 7, 2020, in Mashhad and accused of 'corruption on earth' through 'arson and destruction of specific locations, including the government punishment building,' a charge he denies. He has also been accused of 'participating in the November 2019 protests and protesting the downing of the Ukrainian plane and propaganda against the regime.' The news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran reported on July 20 that the judiciary of the Islamic Republic has executed the death sentences of 4,829 Iranians over the past decade, of which more than 40 were minors. Political executions in the country, including those related to protests following the death of Mahsa Amini, have drawn 'severe condemnation from global organizations.' The office of Volker Turk, the UN Secretary-General for Human Rights, has confirmed receipt of this letter and is reviewing the case. Recently, the UN Human Rights Office reported that the Islamic Republic has used Sharia law to prosecute protesters for crimes punishable by death, including 'waging war against God' or 'moharebeh' and 'corruption on earth,' which has been criticized even within Iran. Human rights activists say that Iranian officials have devised complex methods to disseminate false information regarding the how, why, and timing of executions. Atena Daemi, a civil rights activist, tweeted that several Iranian news agencies reported the release of activists sentenced to death, a claim later denied by the families of the prisoners. It appears that the Islamic Republic uses executions as a 'tool' to 'suppress' the voices of people who are merely shouting for basic human rights in the streets.