 |
| Public execution in Karaj, Iran, in July 2015 |
The nuclear deal between Iran, the United States and other major world players has garnered significant praise and fanfare. The agreement has been hailed as a victory for peace and a turning point for Iran. Some have even claimed that the agreement will usher in a new era of moderation and the development of Iranian civil society.
The facts on the ground paint a very different picture, especially as they relate to human rights. Currently, the Iranian regime leads the world in per capita executions and it continues to escalate the rate of executions and mass repression.
Since the election of President Hassan Rouhani in 2013, all talk of the opposition movement and human rights has been swept under the rug while human rights reports from inside the country confirm the true nature of this regime. Earlier this year a report by UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Ahmad Shaheed noted that "the overall situation has worsened" with respect to human rights.
Just weeks after signing the "historic" deal and more than 8 months after signing an interim agreement, Iran is in the midst of what Amnesty International has referred to as an "unprecedented spike" in executions. Currently, Iran's new "moderate" administration is on pace to hit a new 12-year high in executions. And Amnesty International has noted that while the regime officially claims that only 246 executions have taken place in 2015, this number is closer to 700 in reality.
Said Boumedouha, Deputy Middle East Director at Amnesty International, has decried Iran's "theatre of cruelty," stating; "Iran's staggering execution toll for the 1st half of this year paints a sinister picture of the machinery of the State carrying out premeditated, judicially-sanctioned killings on a mass scale."
Dissidents and human rights groups have noted that many executions in Iran occur with little or no due process. Trials that do take place are often deeply politicized and flawed, prisoners are often not allowed access to legal counsel, and denied the procedural remedies of appeal. Political prisoners who are sentenced to death usually see their fates sealed in court proceedings that occur in a matter of minutes.
The mass killings not only take human lives, but they have also traumatized and terrorized a population. Public executions are commonplace in Iran and the horrific spectacle is a constant reminder to those who dare defy this regime.
The majority of those tried and executed are charged with crimes against the State, or drug trafficking. According the NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR), at least 2,052 people were executed on drug-related offences between 2010-2014. A report by the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran concluded that trials involving drug charges "never last more than a few minutes." The execution of individuals for drug related crimes is a blatant violation of international law, which reserves capital punishment for only "the most serious crimes." Opposition activists have accused Iran of using drug charges against dissidents in order to mask repression and besmirch the activities of dissidents.
The those executed are often individuals who are marginalized in Iranian society. This includes undocumented migrants and refugees from neighboring Afghanistan, as well as ethnic and religious minorities who face disenfranchisement in Iran. In 2014, Iran hanged an Afghan juvenile, 17-year-old Jannat Mir for an alleged drug offense, despite the fact that he was a minor. Iran remains one of the only countries in the world to execute juvenile offenders.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has given more than $15 million to Iran since 1998 in order to fight the "war on drugs" and most of this money comes from European nations, despite their own opposition to the death penalty. Maya Foa, director of the death penalty team for the human rights NGO Reprieve has called for a change to this policy, stating, "Even as Iran's execution rate skyrockets, European nations like France and Germany continue to fund brutal raids by the Iranian police which routinely send people to death row for non-violent offenses."
Those who claim that a nuclear deal with Iran presents hope for human rights never identify a mechanism through which this supposed change will occur.
Unfortunately for the Iranian people, the nuclear agreement has not only lifted what little international pressure there was on the regime, it has also led to premature predictions of change in Iran. As a result, Iranian dissidents are further marginalized, and the world continues to avert its eyes from Iran's policy of death.
Source: Reuters, August 17, 2015
UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee members call for halt of executions in Iran
In a joint statement, seven members of the Advisory Committee the United Nations Human Rights Council expressed concerns about the 'violations of human rights in Iran that have continued unabated for 3 decades' and urged 'urge all countries to make respect of Human Rights a precondition for their relations with Iran.'
'Iranian refugees living abroad are faced with a variety of conspiracies and suppressive measures by the Iranian regime. Ashraf and Liberty, Camps of Iranian refugees in Iraq which in principal are protected under the Fourth Geneva Convention have been faced with numerous attacks in recent years at the behest of the Iranian regime and are currently under siege. Since 2009, 143 inhabitants of the camps have been killed or have died due to the medical blockade imposed,' the statement said.
Below is the text of the statement signed by seven members of the Advisory Committee the United Nations Human Rights Council:
Executions in Iran and the increasing trend in the systematic violation of human rights is a matter of great concern.
Violations of human rights in Iran have continued unabated for 3 decades. With over 1800 executions since Rouhani assumed office, Iran ranks 1st in the world in executions per capita and it executes the greatest number of juveniles.
Amnesty international reported on July 23, 2015: "The Iranian authorities are believed to have executed an astonishing 694 people between 1 January and 15 July 2015, said Amnesty International today, in an unprecedented spike in executions in the country."
Amnesty International continues: "This is equivalent to executing more than 3 people per day ... Iran's staggering execution toll for the 1st half of this year paints a sinister picture of the machinery of the state carrying out premeditated, judiciary-sanctioned killings on a mass scale."
Iran ranks 1st in the execution of juveniles. Execution of ethnic and religious minorities has regrettably increased. A number of Christian pastors have been imprisoned for defending their beliefs. Violation of the rights of minorities, women's rights, civil rights and anti-democratic foundations have been inscribed into the constitution and laws of the country.
Iran is the largest prison for journalists in the Middle East and currently holds dozens of journalists in detention. Iran is also one of the primary customers of censorship and filtering equipment for the internet and it has blocked around 5 million websites on subjects of art, social issues, and news. It also censors weblogs and social networks.
In summer of 1988, following a fatwa by Khomeini, 30,000 political prisoners who refused to abandon their political beliefs were massacred. Human rights organizations have described it as a 'crime against humanity'. Those responsible for this massacre, including the present Minister of Justice, hold key positions in the government of Hassan Rouhani.
On August 5, 2015 the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed his concern about the situation of human rights, especially the executions in Iran, and said: "Iran's use of the death penalty has long been problematic."
His Excellency the UN High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein added: "For an individual to be sentenced to death for peaceful exercise of freedom of expression, religion or belief is an absolute outrage - and a clear violation of international human rights law".
"I urge the Government of Iran to immediately impose a moratorium on all executions and to work with us and other partners on alternative strategies to combat crime," Zeid said.
Iranian refugees living abroad are faced with a variety of conspiracies and suppressive measures by the Iranian regime. Ashraf and Liberty, Camps of Iranian refugees in Iraq which in principal are protected under the Fourth Geneva Convention have been faced with numerous attacks in recent years at the behest of the Iranian regime and are currently under siege. Since 2009, 143 inhabitants of the camps have been killed or have died due to the medical blockade imposed.
We the signatories of this statement share the concern of His Excellency the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and support his appeal of August 5, 2015.
We urge the employment of all legal international instruments to bring to a halt Iran's executions.
We urge all countries of the United Nations to make of the respect of Human Rights a precondition for their relations with Iran.
Signatories:
Jean Zeigler,
Mohamed Bennani
Alfred Ntunduguru Karokora
Chnagrok Soh
Oblora Chinedu Okafor
Hoda Elsadda
Anantonia Reyes Prado
Source: NCR-Iran, August 17, 2015
Report an error, an omission: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com