860 journalists and citizen-journalists have been executed in Iran.
The death penalty in Iran is something that human rights activists and organizations have been drawing attention to for years. Executions continue to take place regularly in Iran – the culmination of often unjust trials and unfair arrests.
Earlier this week, Amnesty International published its 2019 review of the death penalty across the world. After China, it named Iran as the second most prolific executioner. The organization highlighted that it is impossible to know exactly how many people in Iran have been executed because of the secrecy surrounding such happenings. The report stated: “However, a lack of transparency makes it difficult to confirm the real total number of executions.”
The Iranian regime has launched a new wave of executions while the novel #coronavirus has engulfed the country & also spread to #Iran’s prisons. 11 inmates were hanged on April 22, in the prisons of Gohardasht, Kermanshah, Sanandaj & Dastgerd (Isfahan).https://t.co/VqzGD7Vvwe
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 23, 2020
According to Amnesty International, at least 251 people were executed during 2019, and that four of these executions were of individuals that were minors at the time of their alleged crime. This is a clear violation of international laws and standards and something that has been drawn to the regime’s attention.
The report highlighted that 15 females were executed in Iran during 2019. This is a rise of 10 compared to the previous year.
Not only does Iran execute violent offenders, but it also executes those for who have been convicted of so-called “crimes” such as sexual relationships outside marriage, consensual same-sex sexual conduct, “spreading corruption on earth”, “enmity against God” and “insulting the Prophet”.
In Iran, families are often not notified about the imminent execution of their loved ones. Furthermore, lawyers may not even be notified about the execution of their clients, and individuals often only find out they are about to be hanged when they are led to the gallows.
The Iranian regime uses execution as a way of suppressing the people and a way to dissuade them from dissenting. The regime is very aware that the people are opposed to the regime and that they are desperate for the regime to collapse. The regime knows that people are the biggest threat to the regime’s survival.
Despite the #Coronavirus outbreak that has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of #Iranians, the mullahs’ regime in Iran continues to carry out executions.https://t.co/sS3OvxSSzE#MEK #COVID19 #coronavirus @USAdarFarsi pic.twitter.com/iaMwcUtDVh
— MEK Iran (Mujahedin-e Khalq) (@MEK_Iran) April 23, 2020
It uses the threat of execution against the people and there have been many political prisoners executed over the years. However, as time goes on, the people have come to realize that the regime is never going to stop oppressing the people for as long as it remains in power. During the November 2019 uprising, the people made it very clear that the threat of execution is not going to stop them from speaking out.
Freedom is very limited in Iran and many areas of people’s lives are controlled by the regime – from how they practice religion to how they dress.
In the latest Reporters Without Borders press freedom index, Iran has moved towards the very bottom of the list, highlighting that there are very little freedom and safety for journalists. The organization classifies Iran as one of the most repressive countries in the world for journalists, indicating that in the past forty years more than 860 journalists and citizen-journalists have been executed or imprisoned for their activity.