Latest news with #MahmoodAmiry-Moghaddam
Al Bawaba
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Iranian court executes 5 'political prisoners'
ALBAWABA - Human rights groups announced that Iran executed five "political prisoners" after it claimed they belong to banned Sunni Muslim groups. Also Read Who tried to kill Iranian activist Masih Alinejad? According to Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR), Tehran carried out the executions in Vakilabad prison eastern city of Mashhad on Wednesday, after they went through unfair trials, AFP reported. According to IHR, the families of the five men were unable to get a visit and they heard about the executions over the phone and they are currently waiting to get the bodies of their children outside Iranian jail. "These prisoners were subjected to torture and sentenced to death following an unfair trial," IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam revealed. این زندانیان مورد شکنجه قرار گرفتهاند و در پی روند قضایی ناعادلانه در دادگاه انقلاب به اعدام محکوم شده بودند. جامعه جهانی و مردم ایران باید در قبال این اعدامها واکنش جدی نشان دهند #نه_به_اعدام — Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam (@iranhr) April 9, 2025 ِAFP cited rights groups which confirmed that four of the executed men were members of the Sunni Muslim community, which is a super minority group. Meanwhile, the last one was a Shiite. "Five more men are dead, with many more being lined up for the gallows behind them, after sham trials that lacked any semblance of legality or fairness," Behnam Daraeizadeh, senior researcher and legal expert at the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) announced. The men were arrested back in 2015 and convicted of "baghi" -- the capital charge of "rebellion" being a membership in outlawed Sunni Muslim groups, in accordance with Iranian law. Nonetheless, three others charged in the same case were executed by Iran in 2020, AFP added.
Asharq Al-Awsat
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Iran Executed 975 People in 'Horrifying' 2024 Escalation, Rights Groups Say
Iran executed at least 975 people last year in a "horrifying escalation" of its use of capital punishment, two human rights groups said on Thursday. Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and French group Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) said the figure was the highest since IHR began recording executions in Iran in 2008. The figure "reveals a horrifying escalation in the use of the death penalty by the Islamic republic in 2024," they said in a joint report, accusing Iran of using the death penalty as a "central tool of political oppression". "These executions are part of the Iran's war against its own people to maintain its grip on power," IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said, AFP reported. "Five people were executed on average every single day in the last three months of the year as the threat of war between Iran and Israel escalated." Last year's figure represented a 17 percent increase on the 834 executions recorded in 2023, the report said. Of the 975 people executed, four people were hanged in public and 31 were women, also the highest figure for the past 17 years. - Executions over protests - Human rights groups, who say that Iran is the world's most prolific executioner after China, accuse the authorities of using the death penalty to sow fear among the public, particularly after nationwide protests broke out in 2022. Capital punishment remains a key pillar of the sharia-based judicial system established after the 1979 revolution ousted the Western-backed shah. Crimes punishable by death include murder, rape and drugs offences but also more vaguely worded charges like "corruption on earth" and "rebellion" which activists say are used against dissidents. In recent years, executions have been carried out by hanging, mostly in prison yards but occasionally in public, though other methods remain on the statute books. Two of last year's executions were in connection with the nationwide protests that erupted in September 2022 after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian-Kurdish woman arrested for an alleged breach of Iran's mandatory dress code. Mohammad Ghobadlu, 23, was executed in January 2024 on charges of killing a police officer with a car during a protest in October 2022. Human rights groups have charged that his trial was deeply flawed, with judges ignoring evidence presented by the defense that he suffered from bipolar disorder. Gholamreza Rasaei, 34, was executed in secret in August on charges of killing a Revolutionary Guard during a 2022 protest. Activists said his confession had been obtained by torture. The rights groups said there was evidence Iran might have carried out more executions last year that they were unable to confirm for their report. They said there were reports of an additional 39 executions in 2024 that they had been unable to corroborate through second sources. Already this year, Iran has carried out at least 121 executions, according to IHR's count.
The Independent
20-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Iran executed 975 people in 2024 in ‘horrifying escalation' of death penalty, damning report says
Iran executed as many as 975 people last year in a 'horrifying escalation' of the use of the death penalty, human rights groups claimed on Thursday. A report released by Norway-based Iran Human Rights and France-based Together Against the Death Penalty said the number of executions was 17 per cent more than in 2023 and the highest in over a decade. There were at least 31 women and one child among those sent to the gallows for murder, rape and mostly drug charges last year, the report claimed. The executed prisoners included protesters, Kurdish dissenters and foreigners, including 80 Afghan nationals. Here are the report's key highlights: At least 975 people were executed in 2024, a 17 per cent increase compared to 834 in 2023. Only 95 executions, or less than 10 per cent, were officially announced. At least 419 executions, or about 43 per cent, were for murder charges. At least 503 people, or 52 per cent, were executed for drug-related crimes. At least one child offender was among those executed and three other possible cases were still being investigated. At least 31 women were executed, the highest number in at least 17 years. At least two protesters were executed for murder related charges. At least 31 people, amongst them nine Kurdish political prisoners, and a political dissident abducted from a neighbouring country were executed for security-related charges. At least 649 prisoners sentenced to death for murder charges were forgiven by the families of the murder victims as per qisas laws. At least 80 Afghan nationals were executed in 2024 compared to 25 in 2023 and 16 in 2022. At least 5 of those executed suffered from psychosocial and intellectual disabilities. At least 534 executions in 2024 and more than 5,075 executions since 2010 were based on death sentences issued by the Revolutionary Courts. The data "reveals a horrifying escalation in the use of the death penalty by the Islamic Republic in 2024", the report said as the rights groups accused Tehran of using the death penalty as a "central tool of political oppression". "These executions are part of the Islamic Republic's war against its own people to maintain its grip on power," Iran Human Rights director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said in a statement. "Five people were executed on average every single day in the last three months of the year as the threat of war between Iran and Israel escalated." According to the report, the Iranian government officially announced only 95 executions, a significant decline from 2023 when nearly 15 per cent of the executions were disclosed. "Despite repeated calls from the international community, this deliberate lack of transparency not only undermines accountability but also conceals the true scale of the state's use of the death penalty," the report said. The report came about a month after the UN human rights chief said Iran had executed 901 prisoners in 2024. Volker Turk said it was "deeply disturbing that yet again we see an increase in the number of people subjected to the death penalty in Iran year-on-year'. "It is high time Iran stemmed this ever-swelling tide of executions,' he said. Mr Turk urged Iranian authorities to halt further executions and place a moratorium on the use of capital punishment to eventually abolish the practice. "The death penalty is incompatible with the fundamental right to life and raises the unacceptable risk of executing innocent people,' he said. 'And, to be clear, it can never be imposed for conduct that is protected under international human rights law.'
Al Arabiya
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Iran executed 975 people in ‘horrifying' 2024 escalation: Rights groups
Iran executed at least 975 people last year in a 'horrifying escalation' of its use of capital punishment, two human rights groups said on Thursday. Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and French group Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) said the figure was the highest since IHR began recording executions in Iran in 2008. The figure 'reveals a horrifying escalation in the use of the death penalty by the Islamic Republic in 2024,' they said in a joint report, accusing Iran of using the death penalty as a 'central tool of political oppression.' 'These executions are part of the Islamic Republic's war against its own people to maintain its grip on power,' IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said. 'Five people were executed on average every single day in the last three months of the year as the threat of war between Iran and Israel escalated.' Last year's figure represented a 17 percent increase on the 834 executions recorded in 2023, the report said. Of the 975 people executed, four people were hanged in public and 31 were women, also the highest figure for the past 17 years. Executions over protests Human rights groups, who say that Iran is the world's most prolific executioner after China, accuse the authorities of using the death penalty to sow fear among the public, particularly after nationwide protests broke out in 2022. Capital punishment remains a key pillar of the sharia-based judicial system established after the 1979 revolution ousted the Western-backed shah. Crimes punishable by death include murder, rape and drugs offences but also more vaguely worded charges like 'corruption on earth' and 'rebellion' which activists say are used against dissidents. In recent years, executions have been carried out by hanging, mostly in prison yards but occasionally in public, though other methods remain on the statute books. Two of last year's executions were in connection with the nationwide protests that erupted in September 2022 after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian-Kurdish woman arrested for an alleged breach of Iran's mandatory dress code. Mohammad Ghobadlu, 23, was executed in January 2024 on charges of killing a police officer with a car during a protest in October 2022. Human rights groups have charged that his trial was deeply flawed, with judges ignoring evidence presented by the defense that he suffered from bipolar disorder. Gholamreza Rasaei, 34, was executed in secret in August on charges of killing a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) during a 2022 protest. Activists said his confession had been obtained by torture. The rights groups said there was evidence Iran might have carried out more executions last year that they were unable to confirm for their report. They said there were reports of an additional 39 executions in 2024 that they had been unable to corroborate through second sources. Already this year, Iran has carried out at least 121 executions, according to IHR's count.
Al Bawaba
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Over 950 Iranians were executed in 2024
ALBAWABA - The Iranian government executed 975 people in 2024, which buzzed a "horrifying escalation" alert amid the increasing number of executions in the country, two human rights groups reported on Thursday. Also Read Outrage after arrest of Iranian artist for insulting Bashar Assad Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) confirmed last year was considered the highest year in terms of the number of executions compared to the years from 2008 to 2023. The figure "reveals a horrifying escalation in the use of the death penalty by the Islamic Republic in 2024," the two human rights groups announced in a joint report. Figure by Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) showing execution data from 2008 to 2024 in Iran. (AFP) They also accused the Tehran regime of using the death penalty as a "central tool of political oppression." "These executions are part of the Islamic Republic's war against its own people to maintain its grip on power," according to IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam. "Five people were executed on average every single day in the last three months of the year as the threat of war between Iran and Israel escalated," Amiry-Moghaddam said. The report also mentioned that in 2023, Iran executed 834 people compared to 975 in 2024, marking a 17 percent increase. The data also mentioned that four of the people executed last year were hanged in public, meanwhile, 31 females were executed as well.
