Watan-A report by The Monitor highlights that Iran, capitalizing on the world’s focus on the Israeli war on Gaza, carried out mass executions in its prisons, claiming the lives of 114 detainees.
The report underscores the concern raised by human rights groups regarding the ongoing wave of executions and the issuance of death sentences for fabricated crimes in Iran.
The Iranian Detainees Report Group, monitoring human rights violations in Iran, warns of the imminent execution of Daoud Abdullah, a Kurdish Sunni man imprisoned for 14 years, following the recent execution of another individual arrested in the same case last week.
Abdullah and six others were arrested in 2009 on charges of murdering a Sunni cleric named Abdul Rahim Tena. In 2016, they were all sentenced to death on vague charges, including “corruption on earth,” “waging war against God,” and “belonging to Salafist groups.”
The report adds, “These detainees have been subjected to severe psychological and physical torture to extract coerced confessions.”
Execution of a Kurdish Sunni
On November 5th, Qasem Abasteh, another Kurdish Sunni detainee implicated in the same case, was executed at Qazal Hesar Prison in Karaj, marking another tragic development in this controversial legal saga.
The Iranian Human Rights organization (IHR), based in Oslo, has strongly condemned the execution of Qasem Abasteh. The organization accuses Iranian authorities of extracting confessions through forceful means under torture. This condemnation adds to the growing international scrutiny on human rights practices within Iran.Iran
Ranks Second Globally in Execution Rates
According to Amnesty International, Iran is now the second-largest executor globally, trailing only behind China. Shockingly, 649 executions have been recorded since the beginning of the year, with 114 carried out during the ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza.
Recent reports from the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), based in the United States, reveal a series of mass executions in Iranian prisons, including the execution of nine individuals at Qazal Hesar Prison just a week ago.
The human rights group details that three prisoners were convicted of drug-related offenses, five for murder, and one for armed robbery.
This collective execution in Qazal Hesar Prison follows closely on the heels of another group execution of nine prisoners in the same facility on November 1, as reported by the International Justice group. The rapid succession of these events raises significant concerns about Iran’s human rights practices.
Unprecedented Surge in Execution Rates Raises Alarms in Iran
The Iranian Human Rights Organization states, “Confirming over 600 executions in the first ten months, an unprecedented occurrence in the past eight years, underscores the urgent need for the international community to vehemently condemn the Islamic Republic’s arbitrary execution practices.”
Execution as a Weapon to Intimidate Opposition
Since the onset of anti-government protests in Iran in September 2022, executions have witnessed a sharp increase. This spike follows the death of Mahsa Amini, who died while in police custody after being arrested for allegedly violating strict Islamic dress code rules in Iran.
Human rights organizations have accused Iran of using the death penalty as a tool for intimidation and instilling fear among any form of opposition. The situation underscores the concerning state of human rights in the country.