Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, July 30, 2020—Starting at 9 am Wednesday morning, July 29, the families of death row inmates who were arrested during the December 2017 and January 2018 nationwide uprising rallied outside the regime’s judiciary building in the city of Isfahan, central Iran, protesting the unjust execution rulings against their loved ones. During this gathering the families of these inmates called for a fair and open-door trial with the media also present to guarantee adequate due process.
A regime official from the judiciary went to the scene of this gathering and literally threatened the inmates’ family members. “Don’t hold rallies. It will cost you!” he warned.
In fear of these protests expanding local authorities quickly dispatched security forces to viciously attack the inmates’ family members who were holding a peaceful gathering. Many were hit batons as the security forces dispersed the crowd.
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The names of the five people whose death sentences have been upheld by the Supreme Court in Isfahan are: Mehdi Salehi Ghale Shahrokhi, Mohammad Bastami, Majid Nazari Kondori, Hadi Kiani and Abbas Mohammadi.
The five men, all in their 20s, have said to the court that they were tortured to make confessions.
Some sources say each of the men has received two death sentences for the charges of “waging war against God” and “baghi (taking up arms against the government)”.
The lawyer of one of the protesters said that the second Branch of Isfahan’s Revolutionary Court had previously sentenced the men to death in February 2020.
According to the indictment issued by Isfahan’s Revolutionary Court, the five protesters have been charged with “Baghi through effective efforts and activities to advance rioters’ objectives”, “Moharebeh through the use of firearms and the intention to disrupt community security and shoot at officers,” and “corruption on earth by disrupting public security and leading rioters to disrupt public order and security and disturb public opinion.”
This came nearly one month after the Head of the Justice Department of Isfahan Province on June 26 said eight individuals were sentenced for “corruption on earth,” a charge that death sentence, according to Iran’s Islamic Penal Code.
Iran Supreme Court recently upheld the death sentences against three young men in Tehran for participating in the November 2019 nationwide protests. However, the regime’s judiciary was forced to temporarily halt the executions and said its chief would consider any request from the men to review their sentences.
Lawyers for the three men were reportedly told that they could for the first time examine the court papers and evidence against their clients. This came only after they were executed and in response to widespread international outrage.
The Iranian regime has sentenced many protesters to heavy prison terms, lashes, and even death to prevent further protests.
Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), condemned the execution of the Kurdish prisoners, and called on the United Nations Security Council, the UN Secretary-General, the High Commissioner on Human Rights, and the UN Human Rights Council, as well as other relevant bodies to take effective action against the religious fascism ruling in Iran for continuing to torture, execute, and arbitrary arrests.
“By these executions, the clerical regime seeks to terrorize the people of Iran in the face of their protests. At the same time, they seek to boost the spirit of their mercenary agents and recruit their families for espionage and suppression of the public,” Madam Rajavi said.
I strongly condemn the executions of two Kurdish political prisoners in the Prison of Urmia, and urge the international community to take effective measures against daily executions in #Iran by Khamenei and his executioners.
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) July 14, 2020
