Human Rights Watch: Iran’s government is executing protesters “weekly”; the lives of dozens are at risk

Human Rights Watch: Iran’s government is executing protesters “weekly”; the lives of dozens are at risk

🔸Human Rights Watch and the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center say in a joint report that officials of the Islamic Republic have executed protesters and political opponents on a weekly basis in recent months, after “highly unfair” trials, and that dozens of others are also facing an imminent risk of execution.

🔸These two human-rights institutions, in their report released on Thursday, 19 Shahrivar, said that from 27 Esfand 1404 (March) to 9 Shahrivar this year, at least 59 men were executed on political and security charges that were “ambiguous,” and after unfair trials.

🔸Of this number, at least 29 had been detained in connection with the protests of Dey 1404, and at least three others, according to reports, were among those detained for the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests in 2021. Some of those executed were only 18 or 19 years old, and many others were in their early twenties.

🔸Human Rights Watch and the Boroumand Center, referring to the execution of five of these individuals in public, said that the use of public executions is a sign of increased use of the death penalty to create fear and prevent further public protests.

🔸Behar Saba, senior researcher on Iran at Human Rights Watch, said that the Iranian government sends protesters, including teenagers, to the gallows based on “confessions obtained under torture” and after very rushed judicial processes.

🔸According to her, the message from officials of the Islamic Republic is that protest—whether in the street or after detention—will be met with “violence.”

🔸Read the full report on the Radio Farda website.