Widespread Reactions to Executions in Iran; US: A Sign of the Regime's 'Eagerness' to Violate Human Rights

Vedant Patel, the Deputy Spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, condemned the recent executions in Iran on Monday, calling them "a serious reminder of the Iranian regime's intense eagerness to abuse and violate the human rights of the Iranian people." Patel emphasized during a press conference that laws related to "insulting the sacred" remain a "violation of human rights globally, including in Iran," and that the United States, in cooperation with its allies and partners, will continue to take necessary actions to hold the "Iranian regime" accountable for its "egregious human rights violations." Official news agencies in Iran reported that the Islamic Republic's judicial authorities executed two prisoners named Youssef Mehrad and Sadrallah Fazeli-Zar, who managed several Telegram channels, on charges of "insulting the prophet" and "apostasy." The executions on Monday faced widespread and severe reactions from prominent opposition figures and human rights activists. Masih Alinejad, a journalist and human rights activist, tweeted a picture of a message from Youssef Mehrad's sister, who called for a gathering outside the prison to prevent the execution, stating: "The Islamic Republic executed two innocent people just for their beliefs." Alinejad wrote that these two individuals were executed "without having committed any crime." She further noted the previous plea for help from their families, stating: "In a land where judges are themselves killers, court rulings will be nothing but violations and executions. In a free Iran, no one will be arrested, tortured, or executed for their beliefs, and all those who ordered the killing of innocent people will be tried in court." Atena Daemi, a human rights activist and former political prisoner, tweeted about the execution of these two Iranian citizens on the charge of "insulting the prophet," stating: "The last meeting before execution, which is a right of every prisoner, was denied to them, and their families were not allowed to inform others. Mohammad Najafi, their cellmate, was transferred to Evin so he wouldn't inform anyone!" Ali Karimi, a former national football player, wrote in an Instagram story: "In the eyes of the dictator, people are divided into two categories: those who must be deceived and those who must be shot." In another story, he shared an image of an execution rope, stating: "We are all in line." Yashar Tabrizi, a constitutionalist activist and opponent of the Islamic Republic, reacted to the execution of these two Iranian citizens, stating: "They neither committed terrorism, nor genocide, nor killed innocent citizens with weapons; they committed no sin, they only expressed their beliefs." Mehdi Yaraei, a musician and singer, wrote in a short tweet: "We are fixated on each other's executions, unaware that we might be the accused another day." Shahryar Shams, a civil activist and former political prisoner, questioned the Islamic Republic's officials who claim that ISIS kills people due to ideological differences, asking: "Can you explain why Youssef Mehrad and Sadrallah Fazeli-Zar were killed?" He added: "A terrorist is a terrorist no matter what you do; they should not have power at all." Prince Reza Pahlavi also tweeted on Sunday in response to the recent executions, stating that the Islamic Republic has accelerated its killing and execution machine in prisons, attributing this to its "inability and helplessness" in "controlling and suppressing freedom-seeking youth in the streets across Iran." He noted that "this bloodthirsty regime has killed nearly 50 people in prisons across Iran since the beginning of Ordibehesht," with "almost half of the executed being our Baluch compatriots," and "none of them have had access to a fair trial."