The close of 2023 marked a disturbing record of at least 864 executions, a 34% increase from the previous year. Among these, 26 were women, and eight were juvenile offenders, condemned for crimes committed under the age of 18. Notably, seven executions were conducted publicly, underscoring the regime’s blatant disregard for human rights.
The last week of 2023 alone witnessed 30 executions, capping a year marked by its brutal treatment of prisoners. This spike in executions coincides with the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which appears to serve as a cover for the regime’s intensified crackdown on its own people.
The grim trend has persisted into 2024, with 16 prisoners executed in the first week of January, and six on January 14 alone. Political prisoners have been particularly targeted. Davood Abdollahi, a Sunni Kurd from Mahabad, was executed on January 2 after 14 years in prison and a six-day hunger strike. Ghassem Abesteh and Ayoub Karimi, from the same group, were executed in late 2023, while four others face imminent execution threats.
Moreover, at least 10 political prisoners are on death row. The regime has also extended the persecution to other political activists. Maryam Akbari Monfared, who was nearing the end of her 15-year sentence, had her term unjustly extended by three years on fabricated charges.
In a heartrending case, Farzaneh Barzekar, whose son was killed in the 2022 nationwide uprising, was sentenced to 24 months in prison for protesting her son’s death and allegedly insulting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Another victim of the regime’s relentless crackdown is Mir Yousef Younesi, sentenced to five years in prison. His son, a student, has been detained since April 2020. Despite his age and poor health, Younesi, a former political prisoner, has been denied access to medical care.
The regime’s brutality extends beyond executions. On January 6, Roya Heshmati was flogged for violating hijab rules, a punishment justified by baseless accusations of engaging in “organized action” for foreign rewards. Moreover, on January 7, two individuals suffered hand amputations for theft, a medieval punishment starkly contrasting with the regime’s elites’ embezzlement and wastage of national resources on warfare and terrorism.
This surge in human rights abuses by the Iranian regime, amid regional conflicts, underlines the urgent need for international scrutiny and intervention to safeguard basic human rights in Iran.
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