Statement by 174 Civil Activists: Executions are 'Organized State Murder'

A number of civil activists in Iran, in response to the execution of three imprisoned protesters in Isfahan, deemed this action as 'another page in the dark record of the Islamic Republic' and called for the 'immediate abolition of all death sentences.' In a statement signed by 174 civil activists, most of whom live in Iran, the executions are described as 'organized state murder,' stating: 'Taking the right to life from any person in any form is an inhumane and criminal act.' This statement was issued in reaction to the executions of Saleh Mirhashimi, Saeed Yaqoubi, and Majid Kazemi, noting that 'this government has begun the suppression and killing of opponents since the first days of its rise to power' and that 'over the past 44 years, thousands of political and ideological opponents and protesters against oppression, poverty, and inequality have been killed in various ways.' The signatories emphasized that 'the killing of protesters and political opponents began with executions in the kangaroo courts of Khalqali' and continued in Kurdistan and Turkmen Sahra, referencing the peak of political prisoner executions 'in the 60s, especially the summer of 67,' the 'serial killings of freedom-seeking writers in the 70s,' the 'suppression of students in the university dormitories in 78,' and the 'massacres of protesters in 88, 96, and 98,' as well as the 'Women, Life, Freedom movement in 1401 and 1402.' The signatories of this statement pointed out that 'hasty and sham trials' were held without regard for 'the most basic rights of the accused' and based on 'forced confessions under torture, dozens of death sentences have been issued for protesters,' stating that 'most of these executed youths were from working-class families' and 'breadwinners of their families.' They stressed that the death penalty is 'more heinous and criminal than any murder,' adding: 'The government's aim in issuing and executing death sentences has been nothing but the suppression of opponents and protesters and creating terror and fear to prevent dissent and opposition to religious tyranny, poverty, and misery.' According to the signatories, 'neither batons, nor bullets, nor gallows can silence the cries of the people who are at their wits' end,' and 'these cries grow louder every day.' They emphasized: 'We, the signatories of this statement, demand the abolition of the death penalty, the immediate cancellation of all death sentences issued against all convicts, and the unconditional and immediate release of all political prisoners.' Individuals such as Fatemeh Hassanpour, Maryam Hosseinzadeh, Mohsen Hakimi, Fakhri Shadfar, Seyed Ali Salehi, Monijeh Gazrani, Ebrahim Gouhari, Arash Ganjii, Hosameddin Lak, Mohammad Maljou, Leila Motaghi, and Alireza Behnam signed this statement. With the intensification of the wave of executions in Iran, a number of social media users, including civil activists, journalists, and human rights lawyers, published posts opposing this law 'with their real identities.'