As Iran braces for the first anniversary of the nationwide protests that erupted in September 2022, the regime is making desperate efforts to quell any form of dissent and thwart potential demonstrations.
A significant component of this crackdown involves an escalating spree of executions and outright killings in Iranian prisons.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) reported on August 2 that 14 executions took place in Iran within just three days, including nine in the provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan. Earlier, on July 19, the NCRI had warned that the execution toll in Iran could exceed 400 this year.
The regime is also intensifying pressure on political prisoners and activists in a bid to deter protest organization. In Ahvaz, Mehran Qarebaghi, a political prisoner in Sheiban Prison, has reportedly been threatened with transfer to a ward housing dangerous criminals.
Qarebaghi, a 30-year-old supporter of the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK) from Behbehan, was detained in January 2020 on a series of charges including insulting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and spreading anti-regime propaganda.
The regime has an established record of transferring political prisoners to hazardous wards to orchestrate their murders.
Last year, Ahvaz Intelligence Detention Center authorities informed Qarebaghi that they intended to keep him in prison until he “goes crazy”.
Meanwhile, other political prisoners, like Maryam Akbari Monfared, a 48-year-old woman who has been imprisoned for nearly 14 years without furlough, are facing escalated pressure. Monfared was recently transferred and faced five new charges before being returned to Semnan prison.
The NCRI also expressed concern over the health of 70-year-old political prisoner Ali Moezi, who was arrested in October 2022 without clear charges. Moezi, who had recently undergone surgery, has been denied medical care as part of his punishment.
In a parallel move on July 19, the regime’s judiciary confirmed the death sentence for Mohammad Javad Vafa’i Thani, a 27-year-old PMOI supporter and boxing champion from Mashhad.
Vafa’i arrested for participating in the November 2019 anti-regime protests, Vafa’i Thani was coerced into making incriminating confessions under torture. His treatment and death sentence have sparked widespread international outrage.
Adding to the list of egregious acts, the Mashhad judiciary added two and a half years to the sentence of 71-year-old political prisoner Hashem Khastar on July 11, for charges that include sending his memoirs outside the prison.
political prisoner Hashem Khastar
The regime’s fear is palpable as it resorts to increasingly draconian measures in the face of a potential resurgence of protests. The world watches, urging the United Nations and the international community to intervene.
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