Iran: 20 Executions in One Day; 57 Executions Since the Start of 2017
NCRI/Wednesday, 18 January 2017/
Maryam Rajavi urges referral of the clerical regime’s dossier of crimes to the UN Security Council. The religious fascism ruling Iran has kicked off the New Year with merciless executions en mass.
The execution of at least 57 prisoners, mostly youths, has been registered in Iran since the beginning of 2017. Twenty of the victims were hanged on Saturday, January 14, 2017, in Gohardasht Prison, the Central Prison of Karaj, the Lakan Prison of Rasht, and the Dizelabad Prison of Kermanshah.
Four prisoners were executed in Vakilabad Prison of Mashhad on January 17, 2017. Another prisoner was hanged in public in the city of Miandoab, and at least two prisoners were executed in Dastgerd Prison of Isfahan on January 16, 2017.
On January 15, two young men, 20 and 23, were hanged in the Prison of Kerman. Arman Bahrasmani who was executed in Kerman was only 16 at the time of arrest. Two other prisoners were executed on the same day in the Central Prison of Qazvin.
Three prisoners in Qazvin and another prisoner in Hamedan were executed on January 12, 2017, and a 21-year-old prisoner was hanged on January 11, 2017, in the Prison of Sari.
The Iranian Resistance’s President-elect Maryam Rajavi called on the UN Security Council and other relevant international authorities to condemn the wave of executions by the mullahs’ inhuman regime and refer the dossier of the regime’s flagrant and systematic violations of human rights to the UNSC.
Mrs. Rajavi added, “The crimes of the religious fascist regime ruling Iran including the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988 as well as the torture of political prisoners and the mass executions carried out on a daily basis in Iran, are examples of crimes against humanity and those responsible for these crimes must be brought to justice. The International Community’s silence and inaction on such crimes against humanity have led to the continuation of executions and killings of prisoners over the past two decades.”
Mrs. Rajavi called on the courageous youths of Iran to stage protests against the regime’s repressive measures and mass executions, and support the families of execution victims. She said, “With such medieval savageries, the clerical regime seeks to prevent the revolt of the people who are fed up with poverty and unemployment, and the repressive regime’s oppression and corruption. These crimes, however, will only fuel social fury and discontent and further accelerate the regime’s movement towards its ultimate downfall.
The secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran/January 17, 2017
Political Prisoner Writes Revealing Letter to UN Special Rapporteur
NCRI/Wednesday, 18 January 2017
The political prisoner ‘Mohammad-Saber Malek Raeesi’ writes a revealing letter to Asma Jahangir, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, describing parts of the inhumane conditions as well as Iranian regime’s medieval tortures in prisons. Currently spending his eighth year in Ardebil Prison in exile and 20th day of hunger strike, Malek Raeesi writes in his letter: “due to communicating and meeting with my brother who lives in Pakistan, I was arrested on 24 September 2009 at the age of 17, and then sentenced to 15 years in Ardebil Prison in exile.” “I’ve been suffering the worst types of tortures and inhumane conditions from the first moment after being arrested”, adds Malek Raeesi.
“I spent 21 months in intelligence detention center in Zahedan, suffering the worst types of physical and psychological tortures despite my young age. I was even tied to the torture bed, or ‘the miracle bed’ as they say, into forced confessions. I spent several consecutive weeks in quarantine in a 1.5 square meter cell with my hands and feet chained.”While cracking down the protesters in ward five on May 25,2012, I was kicked, punched and beaten by electric batons and ended up in a solitary cell with a broken head and nose and a body covered in blood. I was then faced with the world’s worst torture until next morning.”
Later in his revealing letter, he points to his being sent into exile in Ardebil Prison, saying “ever since I arrived at Ardebil Prison, I was unlawfully prohibited by Prison’s intelligence agents from having phone calls or meeting my relatives for 15 months. I was also repeatedly subjected to harassment for false excuses.”
Concluding his letter, the political prisoner Mohammad-Saber Malek Raeesi asks the UN special rapporteur: “please consider the situation of us doomed convicts and families being oppressed by Ministry of Intelligence, Prisons Organization and the cruel judiciary, and we beg you to pay attention to these forgotten prisoners who are asking for help.”
On Wednesday 28th December 2016, Saber Malek Raeesi was beaten by the mercenaries of the prison since he complained about the cold water of bath as well as inhumane conditions. In order to protest against these inhumane conditions, this Balochi prisoner started his hunger strike on 28th December 2016.Nevertheless, the agents kept him in below-freezing temperature of outside instead of caring him. Saber Malek Raeesi is one of the youngest political prisoners who was less than 17 when he got arrested in 2009. He was then sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment by the court of the regime and he has been serving time for 7 years. The agents of the Ministry of Intelligence promised his release provided that he turns in his older Balochi brother.