The human rights situation in Iran has gone from bad to worse as the regime attempts to stay in power through a mixture of external terrorism and internal repression.
Iranian regime’s terrible human rights record
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran) reported that the Iranian regime’s terrible human rights record has recently been exposed by the United Nations Special Rapporteur.
The regime has facilitated the deaths of 27 prisoners in January this year, a tally that is consistent with recent execution statistics. The Iranian execution rate is one of the worlds’ highest per capita, if not the highest. This is hardly a world record to be proud of.
Shocking statistic
Mr. Javaid Rehman, the UN’s Special Rapporteur, had this to say about this shocking statistic: “The Special Rapporteur remains deeply concerned at the high number of death sentences and executions in the Islamic Republic of Iran, including for acts that do not amount to the ‘most serious crimes’ and following unfair trials.”
The regime seems to be immune to international condemnation of its executions. Last year, two well known Iranians, champion wrestler, Navid Afkari and activist Mostafa Salehi, were both executed despite strong international outcry.
November 2019 nationwide uprising
The Special Rapporteur’s report refers to the executions, saying: “The Special Rapporteur is alarmed by reports of secret executions in connection with protests, with death sentences issued in these cases following unfair trials and after the systematic use of torture to extract forced confessions,”
The UN Special Rapporteur also referred to atrocities committed by the regime in the recent past, including the November 2019 arrest and slaughter of 1,500 peaceful protesters. Reuters confirmed in a special report on December 23, 2019, about the deadly crackdown on November nationwide protests in Iran the death toll of 1500 that was announced by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) on December 15, 2019.
“No official in Iran has been brought to justice and many of the officials involved continue to hold positions of power including in key judicial, prosecutorial and government bodies responsible for ensuring the victims receive justice,” the Special Rapporteur stated, but “impunity for those actions and a lack of accountability prevail,” according to the Special rapporteur.
“No official in Iran has been brought to justice and many of the officials involved continue to hold positions of power including in key judicial, prosecutorial and government bodies responsible for ensuring the victims receive justice.”
The international experts concluded that years of silence and lack of action by governments had led to the impunity experienced by the Iranian regime. Why should they care if no-one else does? Chillingly, some of those in charge of convictions within Iran are the very same people who were involved in Iran’s and the world’s worst human rights abuses in 1988, the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners simply because of their allegiance to the political opposition.
When the international community, especially European leaders, condemn the Iranian regime for its failure to stem abuses, takes firm action, then the regime may start to take notice.
The abridged version of an article written by Mansoureh Galestan for the NCRI.
and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTube
