Statement by Human Rights Activists In Iran- We are determined to stop the executions

Statement by Human Rights Activists In Iran- We are determined to stop the executions

In an era where information technology and human rights concerns prevail, the Iranian rulers continue to ignore the protests staged domestically and internationally against inhumane punishments. In recent years particularly, they have turned the death penalty into a moral norm and a common method of governance.

The catastrophic ranking of Iran as the country with the highest number of juvenile executions, and the execution of at least 330 prisoners this year alone—which by taking into account the population factor ranks Iran also as the country with the highest relative number of executions—are only some of the issues pertaining to death sentences reported or recorded in Iran. Meanwhile, sociological and legal studies have proven that the death penalty never results in public safety, and on the contrary, spreads the culture of violence.

Based on the Iranian regime’s thirty year record, we can divide those sentenced to death into two categories: common and special. In the common category, we find offenders who are the victims of social disorder, class inequality, corruption, and poverty. Faced with a variety of laws that sanction the death penalty, and a judicial process that does not respect their rights, they are sentenced to death.

In the second category, the special case, lie the executions of juvenile and child offenders as well as mass and political executions. The Iranian regime, taking into account the external circumstances and its political strength, decide whether to proceed with these cases. Every time the intent is to create an atmosphere of fear and terror- an iron fist approach is employed: prisoners, after enduring years of incarceration, are executed in large groups and at times executions are carried out in public.

In this regard, and in the wake of the events in the aftermath of the June election, and especially during the televised show trials, some of the citizens who were arrested before the elections were threatened and tricked into testifying against themselves in hopes that the promise of their interrogators to release them upon such false confessions would be kept. Little did they know that they will be finally sentenced to death, thus becoming the regime’s new victims.

In its latest action, the regime after witnessing widespread popular protests during Ashoura [December 27th], while ignoring “the people who were killed on this day [by regime forces],” accused the protesters of desecrating a religious occasion.

Then, in secret trials and through vague judicial processes, the regime tried some of the arrested protesters and announced that they will be hanged in the next few days.

Iran’s regime is oblivious to the minimum human rights standards. Based on its 30-year policy, and in order to terrorize and silence the protesters across Iran, has threatened to execute several more of the prisoners of conscience in various cities all over the country.

We, the undersigned, as defenders of human rights, warn the global community against another imminent massacre. In doing so, we are taking into consideration more than 41 political prisoners who are sitting on death row in Kurdistan, Baluchestan, Ahvaz, Azerbaijan, Tehran, and other regions in Iran. We refer to the political upheaval in the wake of the election, [and we believe that the new wave of executions will be] based on the massacre of political prisoners in the summer of 1988.

We believe that the death penalty will not only fail to resolve the political crisis or silence the protests, but also will create various social disorders, will interfere with social and individual lives, and will promote violence in society.

We also declare that we will not remain silent in the face of the regime’s attempt to create an ambiance of terror in society by repressing and victimizing defenseless citizens through trials that violate all legal principles held in unqualified and illegitimate courts.

The reaction of the Iranian public opinion to the policy of execution has not been hidden from the eyes of observers. In Sirjan (a city in southeast Iran), for example, a few weeks ago the people in a bold move showed their opposition to public executions when 10 people were killed and another 37 were injured in trying to stop and protest against a public hanging.

We, too, out of respect for the Iranian people’s social and intellectual maturity, hail this courageous act as a sign of the public’s will to stop citizen executions. We declare that even if these sentences are carried out away from the public eye, we will stage the largest possible social protest against them.

We are certain that adherence to human rights commitments will not take effect without using legitimate and practical tools. Therefore, we request that the global community pay urgent and unequivocal attention to this matter, and we welcome any assistance, support, and cooperation on this issue.

Secretarial Office of Human Rights Activists in Iran
January 8, 2010

- Siavosh, Persian2English