Human Rights Group Says World Reactions Needed To Iran Executions
The Human Rights Organization of Iran has raised alarm over the recent execution of Iranian protester, Milad Zohrevand, and its potential repercussions.
The Human Rights Organization of Iran has raised alarm over the recent execution of Iranian protester, Milad Zohrevand, and its potential repercussions.
Director Mahmoud Amiry-Moghaddam emphasized on Friday that the global community's response plays a crucial role in influencing the cost of executions for the Islamic Republic.
Zohrevand, a 20-year-old protester from Malayer in western Iran, was arrested on October 27, 2022, marking the 40-day anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, which had triggered widespread protests across the country.
He was secretly executed in Hamedan Central Prison on November 22.
The Oslo-based Human Rights Organization of Iran contends that his execution, like those of other protesters, lacked due process and a fair trial, constituting a criminal act. Amiry-Moghaddam held the Islamic Republic authorities accountable, noting that “the international community’s relative silence toward the extraordinary wave of executions over the past months has prompted the Islamic Republic to resume protester executions.”
Expressing grave concern for the lives of numerous protesters currently on death row or awaiting execution in Iranian prisons, the organization warned that an inadequate response to Zohrevand’s execution could lead to more protester hangings.
According to state media, Zohrevand was accused of killing an IRGC officer named Ali Nazari on the day of his arrest. He was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court on November 15.
Zohrevand becomes the eighth protester associated with the Women, Life, Freedom movement to be executed since December 2022.
Photos emerged on social media on Saturday that showed black-veiled women forming a human tunnel, which many now refer to as ‘tunnel of horrors’, at one of Tehran’s main subway stations to make sure women wear proper hijab. Similar surveillance and enforcement have also been reported at other stations.
Since May, the capital’s subway stations have been the battleground of women who are against compulsory hijab and various hijab enforcers as well as some ordinary citizens who consider it their duty to force others to abide by the rules.
The women who wore green shoulder sashes with the words “guidance ambassadors” written on them stopped women who were not wearing headscarves to admonish them for breaking the compulsory hijab rules.
Responding to reporters’ questions on the topic after the weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi declared that citizens’ groups were only carrying out ‘amr-e be marouf' for which everyone is responsible.
The phrase refers to a pious Muslim’s duty to urge others to avoid forbidden deeds and carry out what conforms with religious rules.
“We have not issued any particular permits for [their work],” Vahidi who is second in command of the police force after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, claimed while insisting that that all citizens have a religious duty to carry out ‘amr-e be marouf’ but this can only involve “nicely worded” verbal exhortation.
“Interesting! So, this tunnel of horrors at the metro is a citizens’ [initiative]!” Mostafa Faghihi, the managing director of the moderate conservative Entekhab news website tweeted Wednesday in reaction to Vahidi’s claim.
“Do people also pay their monthly salary? Are they also hired and organized under citizens’ supervision? No authorization required? How democratic and free!” Faghihi wrote referring to reports in August that Tehran municipality was planning to hire 400 uniformed hijab enforcers to deploy at subway stations of the capital.
Speaking to Faraz Daily news website, an official of the Tehran Metro Company had also earlier denied that that hijab enforcers are officially active in Tehran subway. Hadi Zand, head of international affairs and communications of Tehran Metro Company, told Faraz Daily that the company only has uniformed security personnel who are responsible for dealing with various issues including peddlers and ensuring the security of the subway system.
Many, including prominent reformist commentator Abbas Abdi, have raised objections to the deployment of ‘Hijab Patrols’ in Tehran’s subway stations, the police force’s use of CCTV to identify hijab infringers and recording their images.
In a commentary written for the reformist Etemad newspaper Tuesday, Abdi warned the authorities that that measures such as creating hijab enforcers “tunnels” in the subway corridors would only deepen the gap between the people and the authorities and increases public anger and hatred.
He also argued that introducing hijab enforcers as “guidance ambassadors” is unjustified because governments in the modern world are not mandated to guide people and the police is only responsible for establishing order. Hijab enforcers are municipality employees or police who act based on the orders they receive and get paid for their work like other employees, he said.
