On November 6, Iranian lawmakers had voted overwhelmingly to ask state officials and Iran’s judiciary “to treat those who waged war [against the Islamic establishment] … in a way that would serve as a good lesson in the shortest possible time”.
One Parliamentarian complained that 23 days between arrest and execution was too long a delay. “The time between the arrest of rioters and their execution is too long. They should be executed within 5 or 10 days after arrest. I firmly support the performance of the judiciary regarding the recent events.”
At least 11 more men have been sentenced to death on charges of “waging war against God,” and at least 15 others are awaiting or undergoing trials on capital offenses.1
Among those who are being punished for using their well-known voices are rapper Toomaj Salehi (“Corruption on Earth”), rapper Saman Yasin (“Warring against God”), and soccer player Amir Nasr-Azadani (“Armed Rebellion”).
In every case, convictions followed sham trials without due process or legal representation of the defendant’s choice. Instead defendants have been “represented” by regime-assigned lawyers whose role is to facilitate conviction while giving an appearance of a “fair trial.” Some were group trials or lasted only a few minutes. Families were not allowed to be present.
Lynching Committees Masquerading as Courts
“Lynching committees masquerading as courts are threatening people with death to instill fear in protesters and crush the country’s freedom movement,” said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). “Young men in their 20s are being hanged after show trials, and more are being sentenced each day in Iran…”2
Hideous examples of the Islamic Republic’s murderous barbarity abound. One protester on death row—Mehdi Karami, a 20-year-old karate champion—had a lawyer assigned to his case who won’t answer his family’s calls. “Every night I fear they will tell me the news of my child’s execution,” his father, a street vendor who sells napkins and tissues, said.
Radiologist Dr. Hamid Ghare-Hassanlou, who has built several schools in rural areas, and his wife happened on a protest in which a Basiji was killed. The next day, the security forces arrested and beat them. They’re accused of taking part in the killing and now Dr. Hassanlou is sentenced to death and his wife to 25 years with no contact or visitation rights.”3 Doctors and medical workers around the world have mobilized to stop the execution, including by making videos stating in several languages: “I am Dr. Hamid Ghare-Hassanlou,” such as this one from Stanford Medical.
Although official public hangings of protesters with a thin “legal” façade are a horrific tool, extralegal executions of protesters continue on a daily basis with fatal beatings, shootings and disappearances—495 deaths over the past three months according to HRANA's documented daily statistics, which don’t include disappearances or deaths of people whose family members are intimidated to not report them. Half of these deaths were in just three regions of oppressed minorities: Sistan/Baluchistan, Kurdistan, and West Azerbaijani.4
Also, at least 400 people have been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for their involvement in anti-government protests, according to officials.5
“To tear off the noose from around the neck of our youth and to tear down the high gallows of death, rise up. There is no other way!”
“The public hangings have shaken Iran and sparked widespread fury that risks further fueling the unrest instead of containing it,” the New York Times reports. “Both executions [of Mohsen and Majidreza] spawned immediate and large street protests in the two men’s home neighborhoods. Demonstrators marched and chanted ‘with each person killed a thousand will rise up,’ and ‘those who are sitting, you will be next’…6
“Rise Up to Save the Lives of Those in Prison”
Eighteen women political prisoners in Evin Prison published a letter calling on people to rise up in the streets against death sentences and executions, announcing their plan to sit in December 12 at the office of the women's ward guard in Evin.
The statement reads, in part:
... [L]et us not give up, let us rise up to save the lives of those in prison and stop the cycle of state murder. To tear off the noose from around the necks of our youth and to tear down the high gallows of death, rise up.
There is no other way! This time, let’s occupy the streets of the city with the cry of “Stop the executions" and continue the strikes with greater power and inclusiveness.
Read the full statement and signers’ names, translated by IEC volunteers, here. For Farsi, see Narges Mohammadi's post or HRANA-news.