Iran: 660 registered executions in 2013,
with two thirds during Rouhani’s office, discredit any illusion of moderation
Sixty
public executions, twenty-five women are executed, and five execution of minors
at time of their arrests
·
Fanning
illusion of moderation in the barbaric regime of Iran is solely to mislead
international community and justify deals and appeasement of henchmen ruling Iran
In 2013, subsistence
of Velayat-e faqih regime continued on gallows, group executions in prisons and
city streets throughout the country, and torture and tormenting to death of the
political prisoners. The ruling mullahs employed at least 60 suppressive organs,
including the revolutionary guards, the anti-popular Basij force, plainclothes,
variety of intelligence organs to suppressive institutions such as district
police, dormitory police, intangible police, metro police, women’s police, etc.,
and not one day went by without suppression and slaughter. Some angles of this
all encompassing suppression may be recounted as follows:
A.
Executions
1. Since
the beginning of 2013 till December 31, execution of at least 660 prisoners was
registered in Iran with 430 of them executed after the June 14 election show.
This is while news on many executions never finds its way out of the prisons.
Twenty-five of those executed were women. Public execution of two young men of
20 and 23 years old for stealing the equivalent of 35 Euros, execution of three
youngsters who were 12, 15 and 17 years old at the time of their arrests,
hanging a bleeding 28 year old who a few hours prior to his execution had
committed suicide, hanging the body of a 23 year old in Zahedan who had already
died a few hours back of a heart attack, hanging of Ms. Geitei Marami, 34,
whose body was bleeding due to 100 lashes she received prior to her execution,
emphasizing on the execution of a wretched prisoner who had come alive after
his execution in the mortuary, are but a minute segment of mullahs’ regime
record replete with crimes in 2013. On December 11, head of regime’s judiciary
system Mullah Sadeq Larijani called reports by international bodies on
degrading condition of human rights in Iran as fabricated and prejudiced and
said: “Opposing the death sentence is opposing Islam’s orders.”
2.
Meanwhile thousands of prisoners throughout the country are on the death row. As
an example, just in Ghezel Hessar prison, there are 3000 prisoners who are
sentenced to death. To facilitate group executions, the clerical regime has put
up three platforms each capable of concurrently hanging 12 people. In protest
to these executions, it is now two months that a number of political prisoners who
are sentenced to death have gone on a hunger strike in Ghezel Hessar. In the
last weeks of 2013, several thousand other prisoners went on a 10-day hunger
strike.
3. Staging
horrific public group executions to intensify atmosphere of terror and fright
in the society increased in 2013. Cities such as Noshahr, Babol, Ghemshahr,
Tonkabon, Shiraz, Jahrom, Fasa, Ahvaz, Dehdasht, Hendijan, Shahrkord, Ilam and
Karaj were witness to these horrific scenes. State-run media published horrific
pictures of these executions to deepen the atmosphere of terror and fright. On
many occasions, including in Lakan prison in Rasht, prisoners are forced by
henchmen to participate in the dreadful scenes of hanging of their co-inmates or
friends and those who refuse to participate in this anti-human action are sent
to solitary confinement.
B.
Execution of political prisoners
4.
Execution of political prisoners, especially the ethnic and religious
minorities, showed an increase last year. On October 26, sixteen Baluchi
political prisoners were collectively hanged in Zahedan prison. Regime’
officials confessed that these people who had been in prison for a long time,
were executed in revenge for a number of revolutionary guards killed in
Saravan. On that same day, another Baluchi political prisoner in the prison in
Hamedan, and two Kurdish political prisoners Habibollah Golparipour, 29, and
Reza Esmaeili (Mamedi), 34, in the central prison of Urumia and Salmas respectively,
were hanged. On the next day, a Baluchi political prisoner was executed in
Barsilon prison in Khorramabad. On November 3, four Arab prisoners from
Shadegan were executed. On November 4, Shirkoo Ma’arefi, a Kurdish political
prisoner was executed in city of Saghez. There is no news on a number of
political prisoners who in recent months have been transferred from their cells
to unknown locations. Meanwhile, execution of political prisoners as ordinary
or narcotic trafficking prisoners is a known routine in the mullahs’ regime.
Apprehensive of social tumult, regime has refrained from handing over bodies of
political prisoners to their families and secretly buried them.
C. Murder,
secretly killing, and tormenting to death of prisoners
5. A number
of prisoners lost their lives under torture or were secretly disposed of by
employing various methods. Amir Moussai was killed under torture in Borazjan
prison on February 1. On June 24, Alireza Shahbakhsh, a Baluchi prisoner, after
spending seven years in prison and following his vindication in regime’s court,
suspiciously lost his life in ward one of Zahedan prison only one day before he
was to be released. On June 20, Afshin Ossanlou, a forty-two year old labor
activist, suspiciously and suddenly died in hall 12 of ward 4 of Gohardasht
prison. He too had only a few months remaining from his 5-year prison term. On
October 24, body of Ali Marashi from Ahvaz was handed over to his family with
broken rib and skull.
6. This
year, a number of prisoners lost their lives due to lack of medical treatment.
In the early days of the year, Abdolrahman Rahnavard, 30, was transferred from
Roudan prison in Hormozgan province to Bandar Abbas central prison for medical
treatment; however, head of the prison prevented his hospitalization that led
to his death. On July 15, Ahmad Bajlani, 44, and suffering from hepatitis and
tuberculosis, lost his life in this same prison after tolerating one week of
excruciating pain, in absence of least medical treatment. Political prisoner
Alireza Karami, an employee of Oil Company, who had acute heart problem, lost
his life on April 6 because of lack of medical treatment. During his sixteen
years in prison due to terrible conditions of regime’s dungeons, and suffering
most severe tortures, he had many diseases.
7. Condition
of a great number of prisoners has deteriorated because they were deprived of
medical services. In reply to protests from prisoners who are supporters of
PMOI and many of them are political prisoners of the 1980s who suffer from many
ailments due to many years and prison and the tortures they have endured, henchmen
say: “You are Monafeq. The sentence for all of you is death.” Four members of
Daneshpour Moghaddam family are in critical condition. Mohsen Daneshpour
Moghadam, 72, is suffering from acute cardiac and digestive system ailments and
his forty-one year old son Ahmad has acute digestive system malady. Both Mohsen
and Ahmad Daneshpour are condemned to death. Ms. Motahareh Bahrami, 62, suffers
of acute disc prolapse and Ms. Rayhaneh Haj Ebrahim Dabbagh has severe pain in
the leg and back plus acute problem of the digestive system.
Ms.
Sedigeh Moradi has neck disc prolapse; Ali Moezi, 63, has cancer and severe
renal problem; Mashallah Haeri, 62, has acute cardiac problem with a record of
several cardiac arrests in prison as well as respiratory problems and brain
hemorrhage; Mohammad Banazadeh Amirkhizi, 67, suffers from acute pain in his
bones and recently experienced a cardiac arrest; Saleh Kohandel, has acute
blood problem; Meisaq Yazdan Nejad, a 27 year old student, is in critical
condition due to tortures and prison conditions. Ali Asghar Mahmoudian, has
been sent to exile to Semnan prison and is held in the ward for ordinary
dangerous prisoners that was previously a stable and has various ailments due
to terrible hygienic conditions. Gholamreza Khossravi has acute pain of the
vertebra, Dr. Asghar Qatan, 60, has numerous ailments such as hypertension,
severe diabetics, high cholesterol, has lost vision of one eye, and suffered a
cardiac arrest last month. Mohammad Saemi, 64, is suffering from various
diseases, including cardiac and renal problems, arthritis, disc prolapse, and
damage to the ear drum. Saeid Massouri is suffering from all kinds of diseases,
including acute problem with his digestive system. Assadollah Hadi, Mohammad
Davari and Mohammadali Mansouri are amongst prisoners who are in critical
condition because they are deprived of medical care.
Zaniar
Moradi, a Kurdish prisoner on death row, is suffering from acute disc
prolapsed, Khaled Hardani, has severe heart problem, Mehdi Sajedifar, 35, has
cancer of esophagus, Mohammadreza Pourshajari (Siamak Mehr) is suffering from
diabetics and heart problem, Reza Shahabi, needs surgery on his neck vertebra,
but he has not been allowed to have this operation. Mohammad Sediq Kaboudvand,
is suffering of various diseases, but officials do not allow him to receive
medical treatment outside the prison. Kayvan Samimi, a journalist, is being
kept in prison despite his old age and various ailments, including arthritis of
knees and back. Salaheddin Moradi, from Gonabadi Darvishes, suffers from renal
pain and internal bleeding; Kassra Nouri has acute disc prolapsed; Mostafa
Daneshjou, lawyer of Daravish has respiratory problems. Mohammad Saifzadeh, 66
year old lawyer, has had a brain stroke. He has numbness of hand and foot, back
and neck disc prolapse, and severe chest pains. Hassan Fatali Ashtiyani, Abdolfattah
Soltani, Hamidreza Moradi, Ali Saedi, Iraj Mohammadi, Ayatollah Kazemi
Boroujerdi, Argjang Davoudi, Shahram and Farhang Pourmansouri, Ebrahim Babadi,
Nameq Mahmoudi, Adel Naimi, Mehdi Khodaii, Behnam Ebrahimzadeh, Assadollah
Assadi and Farhad Rouhi Arash Sharifi and Mohammad Nazari are some of the other
patients that their ailments have intensified due to deprivation of medical
treatment.
8. Meanwhile,
along with the rocket attacks and massacre of PMOI members in Ashraf and Camp
Liberty, arbitrary arrests and increasing pressure on PMOI supporters and their
families continued on a larger scale in 2013, especially during the months
before the election. Some of these people are still in prisons. On January 13,
Mr. Reza Akbari Monfared and his son Ali were apprehended. His sister, Maryam
Akbari Monfared, mother of three small children, has been imprisoned for the
last three years on the mullahs’ invented charge of Moharebeh. Four of the
brothers and sisters of Mr. Akbari have been executed by the clerical regime. Mr.
Hassan Sadeqi, his wife Fatema Mossana were arrested on charge of making
arrangements for holding memorial ceremony for Gholamhossein Sadeqi, a PMOI
member in Camp Liberty, Baghdad who died of a heart attack because he was
deprived of medical treatment.
9. Arbitrary
arrest of prisoners and their conditional release on heavy bails is one of the
methods used by the regime to impose pressure on political prisoners and their
families.
D. Harsh
prison conditions
10. As
confessed by regime’s head of prisons organization, the official capacity of Ghezel
Hessar prison is 5000, but right now there are over 22000 prisoners piled up
there. Prisoners even lack enough space to sit. They rest in turns and are even
compelled to use the space inside restrooms to rest. Sanitary conditions are deplorable,
water is contaminated, and lack of minimum facilities to bathe has given rise
to dermal and epidemic diseases among inmates. Prison’s infirmary is void of
minimum medical equipment and facilities; moreover, prison’ henchmen deprive
prisoners that most of them are suffering of various ailments from access to
specialist physicians and medical services. The very limited food ration causes
malnutrition and lack of heating devices in the cold season adds to prison’s
catastrophic conditions.
11. Bandar
Abbas prison can contain 400 prisoners, but it is now keeping 4000 prisoners
that 300 of them are condemned to death. Prisoners are deprived of the least
medical attention in this prison. The only medicine in this prison are Methadone
and Hallucinatory pills despite outbreak of hepatitis, nothing is done to
contain this disease and even medical treatment is withheld. Instead of
isolating prisoners with hepatitis, prison guards intentionally distribute them
in other wards. Breathing is difficult in the cells of this prison, especially
during the hot season. Water is repugnant, contaminated and has a bad taste.
Prison’s market sells expired-date food to prisoners at very high prices. Wards
contaminated with sewage, with a repugnant smell, and thrive of insidious
insects are part of the catastrophic condition of this medieval prison.
Mullahs’ regime sends political prisoners on exile to this prison and compels
them to spend their sentence amongst ordinary prisoners. The condition of
solitary cells in this prison is even deadlier. The cells are so small that one
cannot rest. Prisoner is kept in these cells of cement floor and wall without
any blanket or floor covering. There is no natural light in these cells, food
is just enough to keep the prisoner alive, and there is no sign of hygiene provisions
or medical services.
12.
Qerchak prison in Varamin that is known to people as the second Kahrizak, is a
women’s prison. To place added pressure on female political prisoners, mullahs’
regime exiles them to this prison. This prison is composed of seven buildings
to house 2000 prisoners and dozens of children who are under two years old. These
buildings are very old and they have the appearance of a rudimentary storage.
Gangs within the prison freely distribute drugs to addicted prisoners. Lacking
a sewage system, toilets are constantly contaminated. Water in this prison is
contaminated as well and the food ration is adequate just for subsistence.
13. In
Isfahan’s Dastgerd prison with a capacity of 4000, over 10000 prisoners are dumped.
Because of scarcity of space, the corridors leading to toilets are full of
prisoners.
14. In
Mashhad’s Vakilabad prison over 25000 prisoners are held. The number of
prisoners condemned to death in this prison is reported to be over 4000. On
many occasions during 2013, regime has secretly hanged prisoners in large groups.
15.
Broadcasting noise in Gohardasht is yet another method to torture political
prisoners in this prison. This anti-human measure that is also cancerous has seriously
endangered the health of prisoners and they have dryness of mucus, muscular
pains, severe headaches, blurred vision, nausea and continuous numbness.
Prisoners staged a strike to protest this anti-human measure.
E. Medieval
punishments
16. Barbaric
punishments such as stoning, amputations, blinding, cutting off the ear… help
complete the cycle of atrocity and terror in mullahs’ regime. In the past year,
four stoning sentences, including two women in city of Tabriz, gouging out of the
eye and cutting off the ear of an imprisoned worker in Tehran, and cutting off
the hand of eight prisoners in Shiraz, Sari and Abadan were issued. Assadollah
Jafari, regime’s deputy of the judiciary, called “carrying out amputation of
hand and foot as one of the honors of [mullahs’] judiciary system” (regime’s
news agencies – 30 January 2013). Public prosecutor of Shiraz said that
amputation of hand is a “serious warning” to all those that “create
insecurity”. And regime’s Guardian Council once again reiterated on punishment
of stoning in mullahs’ “new penal code” of 2013 (Spokesman for Majlis Judiciary
Commission – 21 January 2013).
F.
Murdering people, especially in border areas
17. While
thieves and smugglers with their several billion dollar embezzlements are
holding the highest state offices, suppressive forces, on a daily basis and on
various pretexts, shot and killed, plundered the property, set fire on
vehicles, or killed porter animals of the defenseless and deprived citizens and
petty businessmen who are working in border areas or port cities such as Bandar
Abbas to support their families’ livelihood.
G.
Arbitrary detentions
18.
Arbitrary and blind arrests were conducted in different cities under pretext of
suppressive projects such as “increasing social security”. In Sanadaj alone, in
just four days, 193 people were arrested. In Tehran, just on December 15, the
arrestees numbered 123. In Bandar Abbas dozens were arrested in nightly
assaults on the houses where young people lived.
19.
Humiliating and insulting the arrestees, especially the young, by putting
women’s dress on them and taking them around in city streets met wide
abhorrence on part of the Iranian people.
20. In the
universities, suppressive measures aimed at thwarting eruption of student
protests continued. Through issuing hundreds of suspension sentences, the
regime deprived students on various pretexts from their right to education or
sent them to its medieval prisons after least protests or student activities.
Karamatollah Zaerian, a 27 year old student in Tehran University, was arrested
three times and after his sudden disappearance was suspiciously found dead. Nonetheless,
students shouted their rage and abhorrence of this anti-human regime on
different occasions with slogans such as “death to dictator” or “student dies,
but refuses to be humiliated” and on many occasions they disrupted speeches by
regime’s elements.
21. Imposing
pressure and prejudice against women which has become institutionalized continued
in 2013 on various arenas. Suppressive patrols, using the mullahs’ fabricated
excuse of “mal-veiling” harassed women especially during the summer. In order
to broaden suppression of women, the clerical regime presented “national plan
for veiling special to the schools” for children and girl students.
Firouzabadi, Commander in Chief of regime’s Armed Forces, said: to preserve
“veiling and sanctity” elements of the security forces and mullahs’ judiciary
system ought to “confront” women. He added: “If mal-veiling and unchastity… are
used to mar the revolution then they become a security matter and security
organs ought to confront them.” (Tasnim news agency, affiliated with IRGC – 22
November 2013)
H.
Suppression of followers of religions
22. In
2013, the clerical regime added new dimension to the arrest and oppression of
pastors and Christians. A number of them were arrested in Tehran, Fars, Isfahan
and Azerbaijan on charges of “acting against the national security” or “evangelizing
and propaganda in favor of Christianity” and participation in religious
rituals. Apprehension of priest Robert Asserian, a leader of Assemblies of God Church of Iran in Tehran who
was later released because of international pressures; condemnation of pastor
Verveer Avanessian to 3.5 years in prison and pastor Saeid Abedini to 8 years
in prison; condemning four Christian compatriots who were arrested in a church-house
to 80 lashes in November; imposing pressure on a number of Armenian pastors to
end their activities or to leave the country; closing down of many church-houses
plus the principal church of Armenians in Taleghani Street in Tehran is but
part of regime’s crimes against Christians. In a suppressive measure on
December 15, as Christmas was nearing, entry of Farsi-speaking members of the Saint Petrous Church in Tehran to this church was barred
and conducting sermons and religious rituals in Persian was declared
prohibited.
23. Imposing
pressures and apprehension of Zoroastrians, Gonabadi Darvishes, and followers
of Yarsan faith continued. In February, seven lawyers of and Daravish prisoners
in ward 350 of Evin prison refused to attend regime’s court. Subsequently, they
were tortured and transferred to solitary confinement in ward 209. Two of the
Daravish prisoners in Adelabad prison in Shiraz staged a hunger strike for 90
days in protest to suppressive measures against Daravish and their lawyers.
Suppressive and insulting steps against Daravish of Yarsan met a wave of
protest from these compatriots.
24. The
clerical regime continued imposition of pressures on and apprehension of Baha’is
last year. On August 24, Ataollah Rezvani, a 52 year old merchant, was finally
assassinated in Bandar Abbas after he was numerously threatened by the
intelligence ministry and the Office of Friday prayer Imam of the city to stop
selling water pumps. In Semnan prison’s women’s ward, a number of Baha’i women
are living in harsh conditions beside ordinary criminals. Three of these women
have their infants with them. On December 12, suppressive elements destroyed
Baha’is cemetery in Sanandaj. This is the third Baha’i cemetery that is being
destroyed by mullahs.
I.
Suppression of freedom of expression
25. Reporters
without Borders reported on December 18: Iran is one of the five large prisons
for reporters in the world. The number of Iranian reporters imprisoned in Iran
until the June sham elections was 71. This organization announced that since
Rouhani’s election, 42 more reporters or journalists have been arrested and 12
publications had to cease their activities.
26. Unable
to confront the popularity of prohibited televisions, in particular Simaye
Azadi (INTV) that is a dependable source for accessing information and news,
the clerical regime acts with severity to limit access of people to satellite
channels. Mullah Mohammad Saeidi, Qom’s Friday prayer Imam, said on September
25: “Today, through a cultural assault, the enemy is targeting the core of our
homes and our families.” Hossein Zolfaqari, commander of border patrols of
regime’s security forces, reported of a 99% increase in discovery of satellite
equipment (ISNA state news agency – September 26). In a suppressive act on
September 26, the revolutionary guards crushed 800 satellite “antennas and
receivers” under the wheels of armored personnel carriers. The regime called
this act “an act of value to confront the cultural assault of enemies of
revolution and the system”. In a span of six months in Hamedan, 32000 satellite
dishes were gathered (Mehr news agency, affiliated with the Intelligence
Ministry – 8 October 2013). Moreover, 5000 satellite receivers were confiscated
in Bandar Abbas customs (state media – December 13).
J. Rigorous
suppression of cyber space
26. In
2013, the clerical regime increased the extent of suppression of cyber space netizens.
Filtering, control of the internet and sites and emails of netizens was
implemented using at least 12 organs of spying and suppression. In the first
weeks of 2013, in order to intensify suppression of internet, by orders from
Khamenei, a new organ called “Base for Soft War” was formed in the headquarters
of the armed forces. Mohammad Ali Assoudi, cultural and propaganda deputy of
IRGC, said: “20000 forces of the revolutionary guards are active in different
cultural areas to confront the Soft War.” He added that this measure “was taken
to implement commands by the supreme leader regarding confronting soft war”
(Bahar state-run newspaper – 2 January 2013).
Just in
the last week of July, the security forces closed down and sealed 67 coffee
nets in the greater Tehran and issued warnings to more. Sajedinia, Commander of
security forces in greater Tehran, stressed that offenders “would be punished
without tolerance” (ISNA news agency – July 27). Previously, secretariat of regime’s
Supreme Council of Cyber Space had called “getting around filtering to access
social networks in the internet a crime”.
Access to
cyber space is solely possible through IPs registered by communications company
that belongs to IRGC. The suppressive FTA (Iran’s space for creation and
exchange of information) Police of internet conditioned any use of the internet
to presenting one’s national code and password. For owners of coffee nets
various restrictions and prohibitions were imposed that led to closing down of
a large number of coffee nets in different cities because these restrictions
were not observed.
Similarly
last year, a number of compatriots were arrested and tortured and underwent all
kinds of pressures simply for writing articles in the internet. The arrest of
eight bloggers, including a woman in Rafsanjan, on charge of “insulting the
sanctities” of the system, are among these arrests (20 November 2013).
27. This
year, music studios were closed down under the pretext of “prohibited
recording” and some members of musical groups were arrested on charge of “un-cultural
underground activities, including production of forbidden songs and music”.
What was covered in this report was
but a small portion of the dreadful condition that the Iranian people are
living in day in and day out. Infants are raised in death camps for sins their
mothers never committed, elderly fathers and mothers are taken hostage on
mullahs’ fabricated-charges brought against their children and are deprived of
the most rudimentary rights in regime’s dungeons, and the Iranian youth and
women are condemned to gradual death in torture centers and safe houses.
660 registered executions in 2013,
with two thirds during Rouhani’s office, vividly shows that fanning the mirage
of moderation in this regime is solely a means to deceive the international
community and justify deals with and appeasement of the henchmen ruling Iran.
Therefore, once again, the Iranian Resistance calls for referral of the dossier
of barbaric and systematic violation of human rights in Iran to the UN Security
Council and for leaders of this regime to be brought to justice. Moreover, it
underscores that any continuation or expansion of economic and political
relations with the mullahs should have as requisite improvement of human rights
situation in Iran.
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