An article by Brian Brinker draws attention to the mass execution of between 10 to 36 Sunni Kurds at the notorious Rajai Shahr Prison, west of Tehran. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) believe that the number is 21 based on information they have received from the families of those executed.
Iranian prison authorities contacted families of the prisoners to tell them they could arrive for the final goodbye. However the executions were then carried out ahead of schedule and the families missed their chance to see their loved ones alive for the last time. When they arrived they were told that they could collect the bodies from a coroner’s office.
The President-elect of the NCRI, Mrs Maryam Rajavi, a leading Iranian dissident said the acts were “an appalling crime against humanity”.
Mohammad Mohaddessin, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the NCRI, said: “This inhuman crime took place simultaneous with the anniversary of the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in Iran. The mullahs’ regime is facing absolute social isolation and widespread abhorrence by the people and thus is resorting to increased executions to create a climate of fear and to prevent the possibility of a nationwide uprising.”
He said that over 2,500 people have been executed under Hassan Rouhani, “who falsely claimed to seek moderation”.
Approximately 60% of university graduates in Iran are women, but only 12% of women in the country are employed. Brinker states: “Rouhani has made an effort to reach out to women and decrease segregation. With the hijab still a required attire, and numerous other repressive laws in place, however, Iran’s actual commitment to reform is questionable at best.”
It must be noted that executions are on the rise in Iran. It is a leading country in terms of the number of executions carried out and many of the people executed are dissidents.
Brinker said: “It’s believed that Iran has now executed at least 2,500 prisoners so far this year. As of April, Amnesty International had reported a 31% in the number of executions carried out. According to the organization, 58 of the executions were carried out in public. Further 16 women and four juveniles had been executed.”
He highlights the dubious nature of the trial system and legal environment in Iran. Many prisoners are tortured and forced into signing false confessions. He adds: “With the court system heavily influenced by the ruling regime, it’s doubtful that many Iranians ever receive a fair trial.”
