The
Iran Human Rights Monitor has released its report into the state of human
rights in Iran during March 2018 and, as always, it makes for unpleasant
reading, with many instances of executions, arbitrary murders, torture,
corporal punishment, abuse of political prisoners, and lack of a just legal
system.
Here, we will provide a summary of the key topics raised in the report, but for
more information, please visit the site itself. As always, these numbers cited
here are believed to be lower than the actual number of people who have been
executed/killed/punished by the Regime, due to the Regime's attempts to hide
their abuses.
Executions
There were 12 registered executions in March, with two unnamed men executed in
public. This included some people who were suffering from mental illness and
some who may have been children when the crime was committed.
Here are the names of the 10 that Iran HRM could identify:
1. Hamid Imani
2. Masoud Vakili
3. Keyvan Rashkhar
4. Ramin Razavi
5. Mehdi Sarabi
6. Ayoub Babakhani
7. Ehsan Yaqubi
8. Javad Golniat
9. Mohammad Rostami
10. Rahim Salimi
There are a further 86 inmates currently on death row in the notorious
Gohardasht Prison.
Arbitrary murders
On March 26, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) opened fire and
killed Ibrahim Soleimani, a porter and father of 5.
Deaths in custody
In March, 3 prisoners in Iran were tortured to death and 2 more died because
the authorities refused to allow them urgent medical care.
The 3 tortured include:
-- Ghobad Azimi, who was killed under torture just 2 days after he was
detained by the Javanroud Intelligence Agency, but his family were told that he
committed suicide. This is a favoured tactic by the Regime to cover up their
wrongdoing.
-- Mohammad Raji, a member of the Dervish Gonabadi community, who was arrested
during a protest against the Regime's abuses against members of his faith.
-- Ali Savari, whose body shows signs of torture, was tortured to death by a
notorious prison guard in Sheiban Prison, called Hamidian.
The HRM report only named one of the prisoners who died through a lack of
medical attention. He was Vahid Safarzehi who reportedly swallowed a razor
blade and could have been save if he'd been seen by a doctor.
Inhuman treatment and cruel punishments
The report cited 2 instances of public flogging in Bushehr and Sirjan in early
March, but the victims are unnamed.
Arrests
At least 2,100 people were arrested in March, with 889 people arrested during
the Persian fire festival celebrations and another 30 arrested during Persian
New Year celebrations.
Some of those arrested were trade unionists, some were attending a mixed-gender
party, some were rallying on International Women's Day, and some were simply
holding New Year celebrations. The linking factor is that these people who were
rallying together for a political reason or even holding mass celebrations pose
a threat to the Regime, which is incredibly weak.
Abuse of political prisoners
At least 5 political prisoners have been on hunger strike in March to oppose
their own mistreatment/imprisonment or that of others. The Iranian Regime's
authorities have reacted with violence, the refusal of urgent medical treatment
(medical terrorism), or even transferred them to wards where violent or
dangerous criminals are kept.
One man, Hamidreza Amini, was beaten in front of his wife and children while
handcuffed and shackled to a hospital bed, while Soheil Arabi was beaten by
prison guards and is now suspected of brain damage.
Prison conditions
The prisons in Iran are remarkably poor, far below the minimum standards laid
out by the UN. As has been mentioned before, there are problems even getting
drinking water for the prisoners let alone food, clean quarters, and working
facilities (i.e. lights, doors).
This poses a hygiene risk and means that many prisoners are getting seriously
ill. Some are even forced to pay for fixing facilities or bottled water.
Source: NCRI, April 3, 2018
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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde