On the occasion of the World Day Against the Death Penalty, Iranian activists, political prisoners and families of political prisoners called to abolish the death penalty in Iran.
Iranian academic and pro-democracy nationalist-religious activist and former president of the University of Tehran, Dr. Mohammad Maleki called for nd to executions in Iran in a voice message.
“It is now proven that violence can not be answered with violence and it does not work. According to United Nations statistics, more than 100 countries have accepted this principle and crime rate in these countries has fallen.
But what did we do? What has the clerical regime of Iran done other than resorting to violence against its opponents and executing or killing them? Has the crime rate lowered?” He said.
Executions or sending thousands to the gallows within 2-3 months is not the solution. Their attitude during their reign, their attitude with their opponents was nothing but death, prison and torture. Dr. Maleki added.
Three political prisoners detained in the Women’s Ward of Evin Prison, Maryam Akbari Monfared, Atena Daemi and Golrokh Iraee, sent out a letter addressing the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Mr. Javaid Rehman.
In their letter to Mr. Rahman, they underlined the grim situation of human rights in Iran particularly relentless executions out of media spotlight.
“It has been some time now, that the media cite officials as saying that the death penalty has been abolished for drug trafficking related convicts. However, the truth is that these convicts are hanged out of the media spotlight. The executions of those convicted of possessing, purchasing or selling narcotic drugs, in addition to those convicted of murder comprise the largest number of executions in Iran. As you do certainly receive the existing data, every year a large number men and women are sentenced to death for committing (intentional or unintentional) murder and the verdicts are rapidly carried out,” the letter reads in part.
“In addition to the ordinary prisoners, many political activists and dissidents have been hanged or executed for dissent and thinking differently from the ruling regime. According to credible documents, the largest number of executions took place in the first ten years of the rule of this regime (1978-1988). These executions were mostly carried out without fair trials, and yet after carrying out the verdicts, the bodies of execution victims were buried somewhere in the outskirts of the city without any marks. This is while activists who oppose the death penalty are not allowed to have any campaigns, and many of them have been imprisoned merely for their opposition to the death penalty.)
The three political prisoners “strongly condemned all the executions carried out since the beginning of the mullahs’ rule” and urged Javaid Rehman to visit Iran to see the truth for himself, first hand.
Ms. Farangis Mazloumi, mother of political prisoner Soheil Arabi, called for the abolishment of the death penalty in a video message. Ms. Mazloumi, expressed her hope that one day cranes would serve for construction of a free Iran, and the word “execution” would no longer be heard in Iran.
Raheleh Rahemipour, whose brother, Hossein Rahemipour was executed in 1984, wrote in a brief note, “It has been about forty years that every night and every day we are hearing the news of executions and imprisonment of our loved ones. When will this death machine stops? As a sister who has lost her most loved one on the gallows, I call for the abolishment of the death penalty.”
Source » iran-hrm