Monthly Report on Human Rights Violations in Iran – October 20 – November 20, 2024
24-November-2024
Category: ethnic minorities، executions، Finger Amputation Sentence، Freedom of Expression، Labor and guilds، Prisoners، protesters، religious minorities، Repression، Retirees، Suppression، Women
Categories: Freedom of Expression – Protests – Executions – Religious Minorities – Sexual Minorities – Arrests – Retirees – Suicides – Students – Women – Prisoners – Repression – Fuel Carriers – Amputation – Workers and Trade Unions – Children – Border Couriers – Teachers
Summary of Human Rights Violations in Iran from October 20 – November 20:
- Continuous wave of prisoner executions with execution of at least 146 prisoners.
- Death sentences issued for 23 prisoners and the Supreme Court upheld the death sentences for 3 others.
- Arrest of at least 154 citizens, the death of 1 prisoner under torture, execution of finger amputation sentences for two brothers, and sentencing of two other defendants to finger amputations.
- Flogging sentences for 43 defendants, including 6 political prisoners, with 1 political prisoner already flogged.
- Sentences of imprisonment and fines issued for 55 defendants, totaling 288 years, 9 months, and 16 days in prison and fines amounting to 930,600,000 tomans. Additionally, at least 19 convicts were detained for sentence execution.
- Deaths of 25 workers and injuries of at least 82 workers in work-related accidents. At least 1,028 workers were dismissed.
- Over 409 protests organized by various groups of prisoners.
- Continuation of the political prisoners’ Tuesday hunger strike to 25 prisons across the country.
Introduction:
The Islamic Republic’s execution machinery continues relentlessly, disregarding warnings and the suffering of families of those executed. In the past four months, since the inauguration of President Pezeshkian, at least 504 executions have been carried out.
Additionally, brutal punishments, including public executions and finger amputations, have resumed. Since late July, four prisoners have been hanged in public using cranes. Fingers of four defendants were amputated with a guillotine device in Qom and Urmia, with amputation sentences for three more defendants sent to the Sentence the Implementation department in Qom for execution.
In her first report to the UN General Assembly, UN Special Rapporteur Ms. Mai Sato expressed concern over the increase in executions. In another event, the Iranian regime voted against the draft suspension of the death penalty at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.
On November 20, the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee passed a resolution condemning human rights violations in Iran with 77 votes in favor.
These events reflect the regime’s widespread use of violent suppression to instill fear, maintain power, and prevent the national protests.
Since the beginning of Pezeshkian’s presidency, Iran has entered a new phase of brutal violence and widespread prisoner executions, surpassing even the era of President Raisi, known as the “Ayatollah of Massacre.”
Statistics on Executions in the Past Month
According to the Prisoners’ Rights League’s Statistics Center, in the last month, at least 146 prisoners were executed in various prisons across Iran.
Jamshid Sharmahd, an Iranian-German dual national with U.S. residency, who was abducted in Dubai in 2020 and sentenced to death, was executed on October 28.
In addition, Mohammad Ali Salamat was executed in public in Hamadan on charges of rape.
Execution of Two Juvenile Offenders
- Soleiman Abbaspour, who was 16 at the time of committing murder, was executed in Zanjan Prison after five years of imprisonment.
- Hossein (Yasin) Heydari, who was under 18 when he committed murder, was executed at the age of 20 in Shiraz Prison.
According to the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Iran is a signatory, juvenile executions are prohibited. However, the Iranian regime disregards this convention, detaining juveniles until they reach legal adulthood before carrying out their death sentences.
Three women were also among those executed.
On the other hand however, the case of Ataollah Rezvani, a murdered Baha’i citizen, was closed despite confirmation of his premeditated murder. The case was not pursued because Baha’i faith is not officially recognized as a religion in Iran’s constitution.
Of the 146 executions, only eight were reported by state media, while the remaining 138 were disclosed by human rights activists.
The bar chart below shows execution statistics over the past eight months.
Execution Statistics for the Past Month, Categorized by Crime:
- 1 prisoner on political charges
- 65 prisoners for drug-related offenses
- 69 prisoners for murder
- 2 prisoners for armed robbery, labeled as “moharebeh” (waging war against God)
- 4 prisoners for selling toxic alcoholic beverages
- 5 prisoners for sexual assault
Issued Death Sentences
In the past month, at least 23 people were sentenced to death, and the Supreme Court confirmed the death sentences for 3 other prisoners.
Political prisoner Varisheh Moradi was sentenced to death on charges of rebellion (“baghi”) by Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Salavati.
Six other political prisoners detained during the 2022 protests, identified as Milad Armon, Alireza Kafaei, Amir Mohammad Khosh-Eghbal, Navid Najaran, Hossein Nemati, and Alireza Barmarzpournak, were sentenced to death by Branch 13 of Tehran’s Criminal Court for allegedly participating in the killing of a Basij member named Arman Ali Vardi in a case known as the “Ekbatana” trial.
Another political prisoner, Mohammad Mehdi Y.S., detained during the 2022 nationwide protests, was sentenced to death by Branch 5 of Khorasan Razavi’s Criminal Court on charges of killing a Basij member named Rasoul Doust Mohammadi.
Additional Death Sentences
Death sentences were also issued for 6 prisoners on murder charges, 4 on espionage, 2 on sexual assault, and 2 on adultery. The Supreme Court confirmed the death sentences for 2 individuals accused of murder and 1 for sexual assault.
Statistics of execution in 2023
In the past year, at least 206 prisoners, including 39 political prisoners, received or had their death sentences confirmed. Additionally, 5 prisoners were publicly executed.
Flogging Sentences Issued
Last month, at least 43 people received flogging sentences.
Mohammad Mehdi Y.S., detained during the protests in 2022, was sentenced to 74 lashes in addition to his death sentence for possession of explosive materials.
Luqman Amirpour, Meysam Dehqanzadeh, and Majid Roshan Nezhad each received 148 lashes for disrupting prison order and damaging property. Reza Salmanzadeh received 74 lashes for similar charges, while Sasan Khanzadeh was sentenced to 40 lashes for disturbing peace and order. Two individuals convicted of murder, one was sentenced to 80 and the other to 74 lashes. Seven prisoners accused of livestock theft were each sentenced to 74 lashes by the Faryab Criminal Court, totaling 518 lashes. An unspecified number of economic offenders, along with three people convicted of car theft and forgery, were also sentenced to an unspecified number of lashes.
Arrests and Prison Incidents
In the past month, at least 154 people were detained, including justice seeking families; political activists; former political prisoners; journalists; lawyers; security staff at Makki Mosque; Sunni clerics; cultural, labor, ethnic activists, and social media activists. Among the detainees were also Baha’i citizens and protestors commemorating the second anniversary of the killing of Yalda Agha Fazli.
Judiciary Report
Three people were detained for comments made on social media, and 16 others received legal warnings.
Other Arrests
In Gilan, five individuals were arrested for sharing “immoral” images on social media. In a village in Sowme’eh Sara, 57 young men and women were detained in a joint operation with law enforcement and the Revolutionary Guard.
Prison-Related Incidents
In Malekan, Ghaffar Akbari was subjected to severe torture, including pulling out his toenails, while in police custody for a forced murder confession. He later died from his injuries after two days in a coma.
On October 29, four fingers on the right hands of two brothers, Mehrdad and Shahab Teimouri, were amputated with a guillotine device in Urmia Prison due to a theft conviction. Additionally, two men convicted of robbing a bank safe deposit box were sentenced to finger amputation.
Labor Incidents and Work Accidents
Worker Layoffs
At least 1,028 workers were laid off, or resigned due to unsafe working conditions. Those affected included 17 security workers at the Housing Cooperative of Medical University in Zanjan, 30 toll booth workers on the Qazvin-Rasht highway, 230 employees from the Pars Tabiat Cellulose Factory in Shush, and 50 workers from the Zarshuran Takab gold mine.
In addition, 700 workers at the Tabas coal mine resigned due to unsafe conditions after the mine explosion.
Workplace Accidents
Over the past month, at least 25 workers died, and 82 others were injured, primarily due to a lack of safety equipment and training.
Official Reports
From mid-March to mid-September, 15 workers died and 360 were injured in Ardabil Province. Between mid-March and mid-October, 82 workers lost their lives, and 1,457 were injured in Isfahan Province.
Nationwide Protests
In the last one month, 409 protests and marches organized by various social groups. Pensioners from Social Security, telecommunications, steel, and other sectors held weekly gatherings to protest their economic hardships, low wages, and the increasing cost of living. They demand that pensions align with inflation, free welfare and healthcare services, and adjustment of offer fair.
Telecommunications pensioners additionally protested the continued injustices imposed by the company’s major stakeholders, including the Execution Office of Imam Khomeini’s Order and the IRGC’s Cooperative Foundation.
Nurses, medical staff, paramedic personnel, oil industry workers, drivers, and victims of fraud by state-affiliated institutions also staged protests, voicing frustration over worsening economic conditions and unaddressed grievances.
Oil and Gas Industry Workers
Workers’ Demands
Contract and permanent workers in the oil and gas sectors have organized gatherings, marches, and strikes to demand wage increases, the elimination of contractors, the implementation of the “14 days on, 14 days off” work policy, wage standardization, and equal working conditions and benefits for permanent oil industry workers.
Protests by Oil and Gas Workers
Workers in these industries continue their protests to push for the removal of wage caps, the revision of minimum wage policies, the removal of seniority pay limits, and full implementation of Article 10 of the Oil Law. Workers at Pars refineries also organized protests and marches over incomplete wage payments.
Hunger Strike by Political Prisoners
Expansion of the Hunger Strike
The weekly hunger strike by political prisoners on Tuesdays, a protest against the death penalty, has spread to 25 prisons across the country.
Participating Prisons
Political prisoners from Evin Prison (Women’s Ward, Ward 4, Ward 6, and Ward 8), Ghezel Hesar Prison (Units 3 and 4), Greater Tehran Central Prison, Karaj Central Prison, and prisons in Khorramabad, Khoy, Mashhad, Naqadeh, Saqqez, Ardabil, Qaem Shahr, Urmia, Marivan, Kamyaran, Baneh, Salmas, Shiraz, Rasht, Tabriz, Bam, Arak, Ahvaz, Kahnuj, Asadabad, and Dastgerd in Isfahan have joined the strike.
Statement from the Prisoners
The political prisoners released a statement saying: “To make our voices heard, we will go on hunger strike every Tuesday. We chose Tuesday because it is often the last day of life for our fellow inmates, who are transferred to solitary confinement in the days prior.”