Summoning and Interrogation of Protesters Against the Execution of 20 Prisoners in Iran

The website 'International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran' reported on August 15 that several protesters against the recent executions of 20 prisoners in Iran, including Hassan Amini and Hashem Hossein Panahi, have been summoned and interrogated by the Intelligence Office in Sanandaj. Mr. Amini is a popular Sharia judge in Sanandaj, and Mr. Hossein Panahi is a religious studies teacher and an official in Hassan Amini's office. According to this website, Hassan Amini was summoned and interrogated by the Intelligence Office in Sanandaj on Saturday and Sunday, August 5 and 6. He told the International Campaign for Human Rights that he was interrogated from 9 AM to 7 PM on those days. Mr. Amini stated that the officials at the Intelligence Office referred to his statement protesting the executions as 'public disturbance' and claimed they had 'opened a case' against him, which would be sent to court. He also mentioned that the officials were 'very angry' about his statement regarding the executions and his meeting with the families of the executed and demanded that he 'commit' to not engage in such actions again; however, he did not make such a commitment. Iranian judicial officials announced on August 3 the execution of 20 individuals who were said to be members of the 'Tawhid and Jihad' group. The Iranian Attorney General accused the executed individuals of 'terrorist activities' in three provinces of the country. These executions have faced international protests as well as protests within Iran. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights described this action as a 'great injustice' in a statement. Iranian officials have protested these reactions and emphasized that these 20 individuals were executed due to 'terrorist activities,' including 'the assassination of Sunni clerics.' Iranian officials have also denied that these individuals were 'tortured.' In Iran, Molavi Abdulhamid, the Sunni Friday prayer leader in Zahedan, was one of the well-known figures who, shortly after the confirmation of these executions, described the action as 'lacking foresight and tolerance' in light of the 'sensitive' regional conditions. Most of the executed were Kurdish and Sunni. Some protesters against the executions claim that they were deprived of basic rights to defend themselves and access to a fair trial. Hassan Amini, in a statement, declared that the 'most basic religious and legal rights,' including the right to have a lawyer and the opportunity to defend themselves, were 'denied' to these prisoners. The International Campaign for Human Rights states that Hassan Amini is 'not the only one' who has been summoned and interrogated due to protesting the recent mass executions. According to this campaign, Hashem Hossein Panahi was also interrogated at the Intelligence Office in Sanandaj on August 8. In this context, Human Rights Watch called the recent mass executions in Iran 'shameful.' A 2015 US report on religious freedoms stated that '380 individuals from religious minorities are imprisoned in Iran.' Three days after the denial, the news of the executions in Urmia was confirmed.