The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran) reported that on Sunday, the Iranian regime’s security forces attacked Iranian Baluch citizens in Sistan and Baluchistan province, southeast Iran.
The human rights abuse
The Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and police forces shot at innocent people who were just carrying a few gallons of gasoline.
Not long ago the regime sentenced political prisoner, Saeid Sangar, to 11 more months in prison in Urmia, in northwest Iran. He has already been in prison for more than 20 years. His crime was supporting the Iranian opposition, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran).
In addition, the human rights abuses have got even worse with the execution of 3 prisoners in Zahedan, southeast Iran while last Saturday another prisoner in Qom prison was executed.
Since the start of 2021 33 people have been executed and in the months before many more were executed for their political beliefs which did not support the regime.
In September, national wrestling champion Navid Afkari was hung for participating in the 2018 Iran protests. The regime is so inhumane that it has destroyed Navid’s tombstone and closed the gym of Navid’s coach. When his execution was announced this resulted in an international outcry. This didn’t stop the regime as Ruhollah Zam, a French resident was hung in December.
The international community’s inaction
On the 3rd anniversary of the January 2018 protests in Iran Amnesty International stated that due to the international community’s inaction Iran’s actions were ignored so the regime just continued with its abuses by killing, detaining, and continuing their harassment of activists.
Amnesty noted that impunity towards the regime by the international community led to the regime being particularly brutal towards its opponents and in particular during the Nov 2019 protests.”
Impunity towards the regime since the 1980s brought about the 1988 massacre of more than 30,000 political prisoners. Many of the victims were either members or supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran). The international said nothing so the regime since then continued with its murders and abuse of anyone who opposed the regime.
Crimes against humanity
7 UN experts in December published a letter which is sent first of all to Iran’s authorities in September, referring to the 1988 massacre as “crimes against humanity.”
The regime’s present Judiciary Chief, Ebrahim Raisi, and Justice Minister, Alireza Avail, were two of the main perpetrators of the 1988 massacre. Today they hold key positions in the regime which shows how the regime even today supported the 1988 atrocities.
The UN experts said that because the regime never took any action against the perpetrators of the 1988 massacre it has devastated the lives of the survivors and families of those massacred as well as encouraging the regime to conduct more human rights abuses.
EU sanctions against regimes that are human rights violators
Today, EU Foreign Ministers will attend the Foreign Affairs Council which is taking place due to the recent adoption of new global sanctions against regimes that are human rights violators by all EU member states. The human rights abuses in Iran can only be stopped by the EU if it uses the Magnitsky Act and imposes sanctions on the regime. The human rights violations include the following:
- genocide;
- crimes against humanity;
- torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment;
- slavery;
- extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions and killings;
- enforced disappearance of persons; and arbitrary arrests or detentions.
The Foreign Affairs Council should now suggest sanctions on the regime for their human rights violations, not allow any officials of Iran’s genocidal regime to come to Europe, and completely freeze their assets. EU leaders should demand an immediate end to human rights abuses. By doing this the Iranian people will get the justice they deserve.
The abridged version of an article written by Mansoureh Galestan for the NCRI.
and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTube