Human Rights Violation Report in Iran for September 2023 and the First 6 Months of the Persian Year from April 2023 to September 2023
7-October-2023
Category: Uncategorized
September 28, 2023
News group: Freedom of speech – protests – execution – Iran, uprising 2022-
According to the statistics center of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, in September 2023, at least 25 prisoners were executed in various prisons across Iran. The report says from March to September 2023, at least 384 prisoners, including 7 women and 2 child-accused, were sentenced to hanging. Among the executed were also 5 political prisoners. The authorities of the Islamic Republic continue to carry out public executions, a form of social torture, with at least 6 public executions carried out in public during this period.
Detailed Report on Human Rights Violations in September 2023:
According to the “Breathing in Confinement”, the news organ of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, at least 25 prisoners were executed in September 2023. Of these, 14 prisoners were charged with “murder,” while 11 prisoners faced accusations related to “drug offenses” and all were sentenced to hanging.
The authorities of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran continue to refrain from officially disclosing execution statistics and persist in carrying out secret executions. Consequently, out of the 25 death sentences carried out in September, only 2 executions were reported by state media, while 23 other executions were revealed by human rights activists.
Furthermore, in September 2023, death sentences were issued for an additional 7 prisoners. Among them, 5 prisoners faced murder charges, one named Youssef Ahmadi was accused of “rebellion against Islamic Ruller as well as having connections with opposition parties in Kurdistan”. One prisoner also was sentenced to execution in connection with a shooting incident at the Shah Cheragh Shrine in Shiraz.
Continuing with the gross violations of human rights in September 2023, inhumane sentences of flogging issued for 32 individuals. In total, Sentences of 1003 lashes were issued for 14 prisoners. Nine participants in the funeral of Merhshad Shahidi, a martyr of the 2022 uprising, were each sentenced to 74 lashes by Branch 105 of the Criminal Court 2 in Arak.
Additionally, Taher Rasoulian was sentenced to flogging on charges of membership in the Democratic Party of Kurdistan as well as acting against national security. Zainab Kazemi also was sentenced to flogging on charges of not wearing a headscarf.
In September, particularly on the eve of the anniversary of the nationwide uprising, a widespread wave of arrests occurred. At least 731 protesters, families of detainees, political activists, laborers, teachers, and others were detained. Furthermore, according to Bahar News website, at least 600 women were detained in only in Tehran during the commemoration of Mahsa Amini, who was killed last year by security forces.
Additionally, seven former political prisoners were arrested and transferred to prison this month for the execution of their sentences. In a total of 57 cases, the judiciary issued sentences of 334 years, 8 months, and 3 days of imprisonment.
Workplace Incidents:
In September, due to insufficient safety measures and inappropriate working conditions, at least 50 workers tragically lost their lives, and an additional 109 workers suffered injuries. The absence of standard safety and safe equipment, lack of training and supervision, and improper implementation of workplace safety regulations were among the significant contributing factors to these workplace incidents. According to the Forensic Medical Organization, 1,900 workers lost their lives in workplace incidents in 2022.
Furthermore, despite poor living conditions, 38 employees of the Bankoul Ivan-Gharb Oil and Gas Company were dismissed solely due to their demand for unpaid wages.
Detailed Report on Human Rights Violations from March to September 2023:
According to the statistics center of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, at least 384 prisoners were executed.
Below bar chart shows the number of executions took place during these six months, broken down by month:
Last year, during the same time frame, at least 374 prisoners were executed.
The chart below compares the number of executions occurred in the last 6 months and the number of executions carried out last year during this same time period, divided by month:
As mentioned before, the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran continue to conceal the statistics of executions. In the past 6 months, out of at least 384 executions, only 55 were reported by either official or unofficial media related to the judicial authorities. And 337 executions were disclosed and documented by human rights activists, who have taken on significant risks to expose this information.
The chart below provides a statistical comparison of reported and unreported executions, broken down by month, for the last 6 months:
Among the 384 executions carried out in the past 6 months, there were 2 child- accused and 7 women. Despite widespread international objections, the Iranian judicial authorities continue to use public executions as a tool to spread fear and terror and in the past 6 months, 6 prisoners were executed in public.
In the past year, following the nationwide uprising of the Iranian people and in the aftermath of Mahsa Amini’s killing, there has been a significant increase in the execution of political prisoners. In the past 6 months, 7 political and ideological prisoners were executed. Majid Kazemi Sheikh Shabani, Saeed Yaqoubi Kurd Sofla, Saleh Mirhashemi Botlaqi, who were among the detainees of the nationwide uprising arrested in relation to the case known as “Isfahan House”, and Habib Faraj Allah Kab (Osaivad), the former leader of the Alnadal Movement group, were among those executed. Additionally, the ideological prisoners, Youssef Mehrdad and Seyed Sadrollah Fazeli, were executed on charges of ” Sab-Al-Nabi”.
The following piechart displays the statistics of executions carried out, broken down by month, in the past 6 months:
According to the chart above, the highest number of executions has been carried out for prisoners accused of drug-related crimes. Most of the executed prisoners with this charge were Baluch citizens.
In addition to the executions, at least 4 political prisoners died under torture and pressure in prison. The names of these prisoners are Saman Darvishi imprisoned in Tehran’s Great Prison, Mousa Ismaeili and Peyman Kalvani in Urmia Prison, and Javad Rouhi, one of the detainee of 2022 uprising, in Noshahr Prison.
At least 7 prisoners named Abdullah Badvi in Urmia Prison, Naser Hassanpour in Boukan Prison, Majid Diarghar (Saferzaei) and Mahmoud Sabetzadeh (Shahouzehi) in Gorgan Prison, Milad Mahmoudzadeh in Tabriz Prison, and Hassan Hashemi Moghadam in Zabol Prison, died due to the lack of medical care as well as the pressures they endured in prison.
In the past 6 months, a total of 72 death sentences were issued, of which 14 were for political prisoners, 38 for murder charges, 6 for drug-related charges, and 12 for charges of sexual harassment and assault.
Furthermore, in the past 6 months, the judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran have issued a total of 1,558 years, 2 months, and 23 days of imprisonment for 346 citizens.
Workplace Incidents and Worker Layoffs:
In the past 6 months, due to inadequate safety measures, at least 172 workers lost their lives and 387 workers were injured.
In the past 6 months, 3,128 workers were laid off from their jobs.
There has been a unprecedented suppression during the month of September. The authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in an effort to prevent gatherings and the formation of protests, declared a de facto curfew in all big cities, such as Tehran, Kurdish cities, Tabriz, Isfahan, etc.
As of now, there is no information available regarding the exact numbers and the situation of recent detainees.
The Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, expressing deep concern over gross human rights violations that have intensified in September, coinciding with the anniversary of the 2022 uprising, and the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s killing, calls on all international bodies and human rights organizations to take decisive action against the Islamic Republic of Iran.