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| 16 executed in Iran in three days |
The
Iranian regime has hanged 16 prisoners in Qazvin, Zahedan, Shiraz and Amol
within the past three days.
Eight
prisoners were hanged en masse on Tuesday, December 22, in Qazvin Prison. Five
prisoners were also hanged en masse in the Central Prison of Bandar Abbas on
December 20. Another two prisoners aged 26 and 30 were hanged in public in
Kouzegari Square of Shiraz on the charge of Moharebeh, or waging war on God. On
December 21, a 31-year-old man was hanged in Amol Prison (northern Iran).
In
addition to the above, recorded data show more executions in the past two
weeks: Three prisoners were executed in Gohardasht Prison of Karaj and a
prisoner in Kerman Prison who had killed a State Security Forces commander
(Dec. 16), a 20-year-old prisoner was executed in Noshahr (Dec. 14), a
21-year-old prisoner was hanged in public in Noorabad, Mamasani (Dec. 9), a prisoner
was executed in the Central Prison of Bandar Abbas (Dec. 7), a woman was hanged
in Qazvin Prison, a group of four prisoners aged between 23 and 35 (including
two brothers called Ataollah and Mohammad Gomshad Zehi) were executed in the
Central Prison of Zahedan on the charge of clashing with security forces, and
another 36-year-old prisoner was executed in Gorgan (Dec. 6).
The
Iranian regime executes dissidents and political prisoners using common charges
or the charge of waging war on God. Many executions are carried out secretly
and the news is never leaked out of prisons and other repressive dungeons.
In
the meantime, dozens of prisoners, including Barzan Nasrollahzadeh, Sajjad
Sanjari and Hamid Ahmadi who were under 18 years old at the time of their
alleged crimes are presently on death row.
Barzan
is a Sunni prisoner who was arrested in 2010 when he was a high school student.
He was held in solitary confinement for months and ultimately sentenced to
death on the charge of Moharebeh. According to Barzan's relatives, "he has
not killed anybody, is not affiliated with any group and did not possess any
arms."
On
December 8, Amnesty International issued a call demanding abolition of death
sentences for minors: “Iran cemented its shameful status as the world’s top
official executioner of juvenile offenders… Iran’s continued use of the death
penalty against persons convicted of crimes committed while they were under 18
years of age is cruel, inhumane and blatantly unlawful.”
Following
the December 17th adoption of the 62nd UN General Assembly resolution censuring
human rights abuses in Iran, the Iranian Resistance's President-elect Maryam
Rajavi called on the UN Security Council to hold the murderers of the people of
Iran accountable and prosecute them for their crimes against humanity. She
underlined that this is a necessary step towards respecting the international
community's vote that condemned the systematic and flagrant violations of human
rights in Iran.
Secretariat
of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
December
22, 2015
