Iran’s Escalating Executions: The Fight For Freedom Amid Global Indifference – OpEd

Since Masoud Pezeshkian's inauguration as Iran's new president in August 2024, the country has witnessed a significant rise in executions, with over 214 prisoners already put to death.

As an Iranian woman and a university lecturer in London, I was horrified to learn that Pezeshkian was addressing the United Nations in New York on September 24, 2024—the same day I read that 12 prisoners were executed in just two days. Thousands of Iranians and human rights advocates gathered in New York outside the United Nations to protest. Demonstrators declared that Pezeshkian does not represent the Iranian people but is part of the brutal regime.

The situation is further complicated by several European leaders, including those from Germany and France, meeting with Iran's president and foreign minister, the representatives of what many consider a massacre regime. The contradiction is stark: How can the General Assembly accept a representative from such a brutal government, and how can Western democracies that claim to champion human rights engage diplomatically with this regime?

Iran has long been a source of regional instability, with a government infamous for its human rights abuses. The Iranian people, especially women, possess the strength to overthrow this oppressive regime and, in doing so, could help secure peace across the region. However, for this to happen, the West must abandon its failed policy of appeasement towards Iran, which has persisted for over four decades without success.

In 2022, the youth of Iran, led by women, sparked a nationwide protest, demanding complete regime change. Ali Younesi and Amir-Hossein Moradi, two students from Sharif University, both were imprisoned and tortured for participating in the protests. On September 16, 2024, they marked the second anniversary of the protests by releasing a letter condemning the regime. Their letter, coinciding with the start of the new academic year, denounced President Pezeshkian's claim that students have the right to protest. "Pezeshkian deceitfully claimed that students have the right to protest! But he didn't say what happens to students after they protest!" they wrote, exposing the regime's deceit.

Ali and Amir-Hossein are not just ordinary students. Both are gold medallists in international competitions—Ali won the International Astronomy Olympiad in 2018, and Amir-Hossein the Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad in 2017. Despite their achievements, they, like many other activists, have been subjected to imprisonment and torture.

Female students have been targeted for protesting, often banned from universities for defying Iran's compulsory hijab laws. The crackdown on women reflects the regime's broader assault on personal freedoms and human rights.

The regime has a long history of using fear and violence to suppress dissent. Last month, Reza Rasaie, a protester from the 2022 uprising, was executed after being forced to confess under torture. This tactic, used since the regime came to power in the 1980s, is designed to silence opposition. Recently, three political prisoners, supporters of the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI), were sentenced to death: Mohammad J. Vafayi-S., Behrouz Ehsani, and Mehdi Hassani.

The regime's widespread use of violence has not gone unnoticed. International human rights organisations, including the UN, have called for accountability. A report by Professor Javaid Rehman, former UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, labelled the regime's actions crimes against humanity. He pointed specifically to the 1988 massacre, where over 30,000 political prisoners were executed, classifying it as genocide.

The report stresses the need for global action to hold Iran's leaders accountable for these atrocities. The United Nations Security Council and the European Union should activate the mechanisms necessary to prosecute those responsible, including Khamenei and other top officials.

In response to the escalating violence, the "No to Executions" campaign, led by Mrs Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), has gained significant momentum. Thousands of Iranians across Europe, North America, and Australia have rallied to commemorate the 750 martyrs of the 2022 protests and to demand justice.

Rajavi's four-point plan calls for:

1. Designating the IRGC as a terrorist organisation;

2. Activating sanctions against the regime;

3. Recognising Iran's religious fascism as a threat to global peace and security under Chapter VII of the UN Charter;

4. Acknowledging the Iranian people's right to overthrow the regime.

The fight for freedom continues, with Iran's youth and women at the forefront, calling for international support to hold the regime accountable. The September 2022 protests underscored the Iranian people's rejection of theocratic rule and their demand for a democratic republic.