Iran: Twenty-two executions in three group hangings
NCRI – Wave of executions continues unabated in Iran. On Wednesday, December 11, Khamenei’s henchmen group-hanged seven prisoners in Gohardasht prison. On December 5, in two other group executions, 15 prisoners were hanged in Diesel-Abad Prison of Kermanshah and the central prison of Ilam.
Three Kurdish prisoners were executed in prisons of Kerman and the central prison of Urumiyeh on December 7, 10 and 12.
Meanwhile, transfer of prisoners to solitary confinement in preparation for carrying out the barbaric punishment of death continues, including two political prisoners who are Arab compatriots of Ahwaz and on December 8 they were transferred to an undisclosed location and face execution.
On December 11, mullahs’ Head of Judiciary, head henchman Sadeq Larijani, called reports by the international community on dire condition of human rights in Iran as fabricated and biased.
He said: “Opposition to the death sentence is opposition to Islam”. Speaking on the anti-human and anti-Islamic law, he noted, “It is inconsiderate of them to expect us to refrain from implementing Quran’s substance for the sake of an adopted resolution. Without paying heed to protests, judiciary shall decisively continue its work”.
Mullahs use Islam is a pseudonym for their religious dictatorship and therefore consider opposition to the death sentence as opposition to the very rule of the Velayat-e faqih system that the Iranian people want to topple.
Unceasing waves of execution that have taken much added dimension since Hassan Rouhani has taken office, on the one hand betray regime’s horror of the explosive state of the society and threat of a widespread uprising and on the other hand demonstrate that casting a mirage of moderation and tolerance by this regime only adds fuel to mullahs’ machine of execution, torture and massacre.
Planned visit to Iran by a few members of the European parliament while all of Iran is traversed by arbitrary and mass executions is a betrayal to human rights and justice and encourages clerical regime to continue with more execution.
The visit by MEPs who are well-known for their support for Iranian mullahs has met extensive opposition in the European parliament.
The largest parliamentary group at the European Parliament, Group of the European People’s Party (EPP), has announced that non of their members will take part in visit.
The EPP Group Coordinator on Foreign Affairs Jose Ignacio Salafranca said: “The EPP Group regrets that the number of executions in Iran has increased since the arrival of the new administration… one of the essential elements of interparliamentary dialogue should include human rights, as well as NGOs and representatives of the opposition”.
The leader of the Group of European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR Group), MEP Martin Callanan , also declared that no one from the group would be part of the visiting delegation.
He added, “Iran’s human rights record is showing no sign of improvement under Rouhani, and the MEPs should not be making the visit until there is a clear change of attitude on questions surrounding human rights, support for terror, and clear action regarding nuclear proliferation.”
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
December 12, 2013