Monthly report on human rights violations in Iran
22-April-2021
Category: Uncategorized
22-April-2021
Newsgroup: Freedom of Expression – Execution – Women – Prisoners –
In Farvardin 1400 (March 20 to April 20, 2021):
At least 18 prisoners have been executed and 7 death sentences have been issued
At least 135 civil, political and social media activists have been arrested
Thirty six political and ideological activists have been sentenced to 134 years and 9 months imprisonment in courts of first instance as well as appellate courts
The sentences of at least 410 lashes have been issued
Seventy four lashes have been inflicted on a women activist
Breathing in Confinement: Since the beginning of the new “Shamsi” year, disregarding the uncontrolled spread of Covid-19 in Iran as well as all of the prisons across the country, various forms of human rights violations including executions of prisoners, imprisonment, flogging prisoners and detention of activists have been widely continued. Meanwhile, the officials of Prisons Organization have taken no action to protect detainees against Covid-19 pandemic. In contrast, by exposing the prisoners to dangerous environments, including courts and crowded prison wards have made them at risk of catching the disease.
Since the beginning of new “Shamsi” year, at least four political prisoners have been deported to various prisons. Ismail Abdi, Amirsalar Davoodi, Saeed Eghbali and Abdolrasoul Mortazavi are among the political prisoners who have been deported to Karaj prisons or to unknown locations.
According to the Statistics Center of the the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, the judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran has executed at least 18 prisoners in various prisons by hanging. Besides, during the period of the past one month, 7 death sentences have been issued various courts and the two death sentences have been upheld by the Supreme Court. In addition, at least 135 citizens have been detained by security forces.
According to the report, 36 political and ideological activists have been sentenced to a total of 134 years and 9 months in prison in both the courts of first instance and appeals.
Six prisoners have been sentenced to a total of 410 lashes, and another eight have been sentenced to an undeclared number of lashes.
On Monday, April 5, 2021, the authorities of Qarchak Prison in Varamin inflicted 74 lashes on the political prisoner, Zohreh Sarv. Whereas her lashing sentence, had already been converted into a fine, and after attaching the deposit slip to her record, the case had been declared closed. However, prison officials subjected granting a leave permission to this political prisoner to execution of her flogging sentence which had previously been revoked.
According to Breathing in Confinement, the news organ of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, on April 4, after the New Year holidays, the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran executed a group of three prisoners in Urmia Prison, all accused of carrying drugs.
Twelve prisoners who were executed during the first month of the “Shamsi” year (67% of the executed prisoners) were executed on drug charges. Whereas, as per the new law (Amendment in 2017), the issuance of the death sentence for those accused of drug trafficking was significantly restricted and in general, one degree of reduction was considered for these category of crimes.
Among Iranian cities, Urmia had the highest number of executions. Eight prisoners, mostly accused of “drug trafficking,” were executed in this prison during the last 20 days of Farvardin (April 1-20).
The other 10 prisoners were executed in prisons in Babol, Isfahan, Birjand, Taybad, Zanjan, Sabzevar, Shiraz, Qazvin and Gonbad-e Kavous.
Of the 18 executed prisoners, only two were reported by the state media, the other 16, were carried out in secrete in various prisons and were only reported by human rights activists.
In the last 30 days, the verdicts of two defendants in Ardabil, who in a joint case had been previously sentenced to 4 times and 2 times death, were upheld by the Supreme Court.
Hamid Reza Amiri Sefat (Hamid Sefat), an Persian Pop singer, has also been sentenced to death for the murder of his mother’s husband. According to his lawyer, this Pop singer has been accused of killing his mother’s husband, while the forensic expert opinion reveals that Mr. Amiri Sefat has been partly responsible for the death of the victim and his action was not the main cause of death.
The judiciary of the Islamic Republic, headed by Ibrahim Ra’isi, who is convicted of crimes against humanity in relation to the massacre of political prisoners in 1988, disregarding the Covid-19 pandemic, has been issuing arrest warrants as well as different sentences including prison sentences on a regular basis.
The Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, condemning all forms of human rights violations by Iranian government, calls on the international community, human rights authorities, and UN reporters to urge the Islamic Republic authorities for abolishing the death penalty, releasing all political prisoners, and improving the human rights situation in the country.