Iran’s Judiciary Issued 35 Death Sentences in One Month, Human Rights Activists Warn
Human rights activists in Iran state that in January, the Iranian regime’s judiciary set a new record for issuing death sentences in the past year with 35 death sentences. The regime also executed 86 individuals in the same month.
On February 8, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that the examination of the issuance and execution of death sentences from January 2023 to January 2024 indicates a continuous increase in the number of executions compared to the number of newly issued death sentences.
The recent intensification of issuing and executing death sentences in Iran has been met with strong reactions. In this context, the European Parliament passed a resolution on Friday, February 8, calling for the immediate release of all those sentenced to death and political prisoners in Iran.
Earlier on January 15, Abram Paley, the Deputy of the Special Representative of the United States for Iranian Affairs, strongly condemned the Iranian regime’s use of the death penalty, one day after the execution of 13 Iranian citizens.
Human rights activists in Iran also published a report on October 9, 2023, simultaneous with the “World Day Against the Death Penalty,” detailing the extent of executions from October 9, 2022, to October 7, 2023, to draw public attention to the situation of “thousands awaiting the execution of their sentences.”
According to this report, at least “659 individuals” in various regions of Iran have been executed by “hanging” during this period, representing an approximately 24% increase compared to the same period in the previous year.
Also according to a report by the Iran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM) in January 2024, the statistics of executions in Iran have seen a significant increase, with the Iranian judiciary executing 88 individuals. This marks a 39% growth compared to January 2023 when the Iran regime executed 63 people, and a staggering 91% growth compared to January 2022 when 46 individuals were executed. These calculations indicate a disturbing upward trend in the number of executions in Iran, and the Iranian judiciary has employed a ruthless approach in carrying out these executions, which is highly concerning.
The Hengaw Human Rights Organization also stated in a report on the human rights situation in Iran in the year 2023 that the Islamic Republic had detained at least 2,342 citizens and handed over a minimum of 823 prisoners to execution squads during the year.
Fire Department: Tehran has 18,000 High-Risk Buildings
Jalal Maleki, the spokesperson for the Tehran Fire Department, announced that there are 18,000 high-risk buildings in the city and stated that these buildings pose a danger to the city’s future.
Maleki also declared that 75 buildings in Tehran are in a critical condition.
Incidents such as the Plasco Building collapse, Gandhi Hospital fire, and Sina At’har Medical Center have raised concerns among the public.
Following the fire at Gandhi Hospital in Tehran on January 25, sensitivity towards high-risk buildings has increased. Maleki mentioned that out of 2,300 medical centers examined, only 1,800 have received certification from the firefighting department.
Since the Plasco Building fire in the center of Tehran on January 19, 2017, which claimed at least 22 lives, until the collapse of the Metropol tower in Abadan (southwest Iran) on May 23, 2022, resulting in 43 fatalities, numerous warnings have been issued regarding the safety of public buildings in the country, especially in Tehran.
In this regard, 129 public and government buildings have been identified as high-risk, according to the Tehran Fire Department. This list includes Boali, Fajr, Yafteh Abad, Fiaz Bakhsh, Ghiasy, Ziaian, Tarfeh, and Shah Abadi medical centers, as well as Shahid, Technical and Vocational University, and Yadegar-e Imam universities.
On May 8, 2023, the regime’s Farhikhtegan newspaper wrote that, based on available information, due to the age, concentration, and density in districts 11 and 12, these two areas in Tehran host the most unsafe buildings and structures. Only in district 11, 129 buildings are considered very high-risk.
Names of compromised shopping centers have also been mentioned, including Aluminum, Alaeddin, Mahistan, Azad, and Champs-Élysées.
These incidents and various lists of unsafe, high-risk, and very high-risk buildings in Tehran occur while Ali Reza Zakani, the mayor of Tehran, denies the existence of such a list, stating that our duty is only to identify.
High-risk and unsafe buildings are divided into two categories: old and new. Old buildings need renovation or closure due to their age and the absence of many safety principles and equipment during construction. In new buildings, the only factor contributing to their insecurity is the municipality’s approach in issuing permits, supervision, and reducing penalties for violations.
Iranian Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike in Protest to Uptick in Executions
Continuing the protests against the issuance and implementation of death sentences in Iran, 439 political and civil activists have signed a statement demanding a halt to executions in Iran. The signatories of this statement expressed solidarity with the families of those executed in recent weeks and showed support for the global campaign “No to Execution.”
According to these activists, the death sentences are driven more by revenge and are leading to the prosecution of young protesters.
The signatories of the statement believe that most recent executions should not have taken place even according to the judicial standards of the Iranian regime.
In the past months, following the intensification of the wave of executions in Iran, numerous gatherings have been held in various parts of the world.
On January 29, political prisoners in Karaj’s Ghezel Hesar Prison declared they are going on a hunger strike every Tuesday in protest against the widespread executions in this prison and other prisons. This hunger strike is in solidarity with the hunger strike of prisoners condemned to death in this prison.
Political prisoners in Karaj’s Ghezel Hesar Prison issued a statement announcing the hunger strike and wrote the following:
“Since our exile until now, we have witnessed the expansion of the wave of executions of prisoners (both political and non-political), and we have reacted and informed the public in any possible way about this crime. For this reason, on January 28, security forces stormed the political prisoners’ ward to silence this voice of protest and prevent the disclosure of the wave of executions. They resorted to beating, threatening, insulting, and confiscating and damaging belongings. All this savagery is aimed at preventing the disclosure of executions and state-committed murders.”
Another group of prisoners declared: “We, political prisoners from Evin Prison, join the hunger strike every Tuesday along with the prisoners of Ghezel Hesar and other prisoners in protest against executions.”
The names of some of the prisoners are Behrouz Ehsani, Reza Akbari Monfared, Khosrow Rahnama, Kamran Rezaei Far, Reza Rezaei, Hossein Shahsavari, Nasrollah Falahi, Masoud Moeini, Ali Moezi, Shahab Nadali, Ali Bahiraei, Arash Moradi, and Yasin Mokhtari.
Iran’s Regime Bypassing Sanctions Through 2 British Banks
According to a report by the Financial Times on Sunday, February 4, the Iranian regime has exploited two major British banks to carry out covert money operations worldwide as part of an extensive network to evade sanctions, supported by Iranian government intelligence agencies.
Based on documents obtained by Financial Times, Lloyd’s and Santander UK have allocated several cover accounts to British companies secretly owned by a sanctioned Iranian petrochemical trading company based in London.
The report further states that the mentioned petrochemical trading company is part of a network that the United States accuses of collecting hundreds of millions of dollars for the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and cooperating with Russian intelligence organizations to finance proxy paramilitary forces associated with the regime.
This covert money movement around the world has taken place while the petrochemical trading company and its British cover company, PCC UK, have been under US sanctions since November 2018.
The report reveals that the Iranian regime has abused the complex structures of Lloyd’s and Santander UK to evade sanctions and conceal ownership.
Revelations about the regime’s sanctions evasion operations in the heart of London came after the Royal Air Force of Britain joined the US airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are supported by the Iranian regime.
According to the UK Companies House, Pisco UK is wholly owned by a British citizen named Abdollah Siavash Fahimi. However, internal documents, some of which have been published online by a website, indicate that Pisco is fully controlled by the British cover company PCC UK, and Fahimi takes possession of it as a trustee under a contract.
Fahimi has used the email address of the petrochemical trading company to communicate with officials of the company in Tehran. According to British company files, he served as the manager of the British cover company PCC UK from April 2021 to February 2022.
Earlier, the British Foreign Secretary David Cameron mentioned in an interview with The Sunday Times that he had a frank conversation with the Foreign Minister of the Iranian regime and said they needed to send the clearest possible message to Iran that their activities through proxies are unacceptable.
Cameron said, “I’ve met with the Iranian foreign minister and had a very robust conversation where I said that these proxies are your proxies, you cannot disclaim your responsibility for them.
“Of course, you can claim they have a certain amount of independence, but you created them, you backed them, you financed them, you provided them with weapons, and you will ultimately be held accountable for what they do.”
Central Bank of Iran: Liquidity at Unprecedented 80 Quadrillion Rials
In response to Iranian regime’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei’s statements regarding the need to halt the growth of liquidity, the Central Bank of Iran has published a report indicating a close to 32% increase in the inflation rate in December 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.
On January 30, Khamenei called for a halt or reduction in the growth of liquidity in Iran and claimed that the dissatisfaction of producers was a result of the government’s failure to heed his warnings in the past year.
The Central Bank of Iran’s report highlights the significant increase in the rate of liquidity growth, which contradicts the estimate of the International Monetary Fund.
The report does not mention the actual amount of liquidity in the country but emphasizes the reduction in the pace of liquidity growth. The report on the January liquidity level from the Central Bank of Iran has not been published yet.
However, it is widely acknowledged that the distorted growth of liquidity, resulting from the government’s pressure on the central bank to print banknotes without adequate backing to cover budget deficits, is considered the primary factor contributing to the rampant inflation in Iran.
However, the Central Bank’s statistical archive shows that liquidity was equivalent to 59,070 trillion rials (approximately $107.2 billion) in December 2022. With a growth rate of 31.7% over the course of a year, this figure has reached 77,800 trillion rials (approximately $141.197 billion) in December 2023.
At the beginning of Ebrahim Raisi’s presidency, the liquidity in the country was 39,210 trillion rials (approximately $71.161 billion), which means that it has doubled in just two years.
Over the past decade, Iranian governments have resorted to extensive borrowing from the Central Bank, other banks, and the National Development Fund to cover budget deficits, forcing the Central Bank to print banknotes without sufficient backing. This has been the main factor contributing to rampant inflation in Iran.
While the Central Bank’s report does not provide details about the money supply volume, the estimates from the International Monetary Fund suggest that the pace of liquidity growth in Iran is increasing this year.
According to these estimates, which were published in the fall of this year, the average annual liquidity growth in Iran over the past decade was around 25%, but it reached 31% last year and is expected to be around 47% this year.
Iran has the highest liquidity growth among Middle Eastern and African countries. For comparison, Iran’s money supply growth is five times that of Saudi Arabia, and the inflation rate in Iran is more than 17 times higher than that of Saudi Arabia.
The International Monetary Fund has assessed the inflation rate in Iran to be 47% this year.
The report also states that Iran’s government debt has reached $112 billion in the current Iranian year and is projected to increase by another $6 billion next year. Iran’s government debt is equivalent to one-third of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
The UK Parliament Supports Plan For Freedom And Democracy In Iran
On January 31, the British Parliament, in a session, endorsed a proposed plan for establishing freedom and democracy in Iran.
During this session, attended by several Members of Parliament, and initiated by Bob Blackman, a Member of the Conservative Party, the actions of the Iranian regime, including the severe repression of protests, were strongly condemned.
The participating MPs also expressed deep concerns about the increasing use of “terrorism, espionage, cyber-attacks, and hostage diplomacy” by the Iranian regime in its efforts to eliminate the National Council of Resistance of Iran, particularly members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) in Ashraf 3 in Albania.
They urged European governments, especially Albania, to confront the unlawful activities of the Iranian regime and to support the rights of PMOI members in Ashraf 3, in accordance with the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees in Geneva, the European Convention on Human Rights, and international law.
The participating MPs in this session also expressed concerns about the threats posed by the Iranian regime against dissidents in the UK and called on the UK government to add the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to the list of terrorist organizations.
They also demanded that the UK government, in coordination with its international partners, impose further sanctions against the Iranian regime and hold the Iranian government accountable for its unlawful actions inside and outside of Iran.
The need to confront the unlawful actions of the Iranian regime and add the IRGC to the list of terrorist organizations are among the demands that have been raised in recent years by many lawmakers in various European countries and by Iranians living abroad.
Baluch Student Killed Under Torture at IRGC Detention Center
Sepehr Shirani, a 19-year-old Baluch student, lost his life three days after being detained at the Zahedan Intelligence Detention Center, according to Haalvash news website. The Baloch Activists Campaign has attributed his death to torture. Shirani was arrested by Zahedan security forces on Tuesday, January 30, for his activities on social media.
According to Haalvsh, which covers news in Sistan and Baluchestan province, the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence forces informed Shirani’s family on Thursday, February 1, that Sepehr had lost his life.
The report stated that the body of the deceased young man had been in the possession of the Zahedan Intelligence at the time of the report, and his family and relatives are currently engaged in the necessary procedures to receive the body from the coroner.
In another report, Haalvsh, quoting its sources, wrote: “On Tuesday, January 31, around 4:00 PM, Sepehr left his house, and his phone was turned off. After searching and following up, the family confirmed his detention by the intelligence forces. They announced that his arrest was due to his activities on social media and stated that they would release him after answering a few questions.”
Following the bloody Friday in Zahedan on September 30, 2022, which resulted in the killing and injury of hundreds of people, the city came under tight security control.
According to the Baloch Activists Campaign (balochcampaign), in an update on the news of Sepehr Shirani’s killing, citing informed sources, they wrote, “The intelligence forces have killed Sepehr through torture and in a fabricated scenario, they made it look like he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head and transferring him to the rooftop of his house.”
Another informed source told Haalvsh about the killing of this Baloch citizen: “In the early hours of Thursday, around 4:30 AM, Sepehr’s body was found on the rooftop of their apartment while he had been shot in the head. The family had no information about how he was released from the intelligence detention center without their knowledge and went to the rooftop of the house. The manner of his death has been staged according to the precedent of security agencies.”
Haalvsh further wrote, citing this informed source: “Earlier, the security forces had warned Sepehr about his activities on social media and his presence in the protests of Zahedan on Fridays, and told him that he had no right to post anything about the protests anymore, but he did not pay attention to these warnings.”
Previously, in December 2023, Haalvsh reported that Mahmoud Rakhshani, a 19-year-old college student who was detained by the Revolutionary Guards Intelligence in Sistan and Baluchestan province on September 3, 2023, and fell into a coma as a result of torture and head injuries, died on December 11, 2023, at Amir-al-Momenin Hospital in the city of Zabol (eastern Iran).
On December 6, 2023, Amnesty International released a report detailing the violations committed by the Revolutionary Guards, Basij, the Ministry of Intelligence, and various police units against women, men, and children during the popular uprising in Iran. The report published testimonies from some of the victims.
In recent years, many political prisoners have lost their lives in Iranian detention centers and prisons due to pressure, torture, and the denial of medical services. However, the Iranian regime has refused to take any responsibility for their deaths.
Price Surge in Iran’s Automotive Market
Simultaneously with the continued turmoil in the currency exchange rate in Iran, the prices of both domestic and foreign cars in the country have risen, with reports indicating an increase in the prices of imported cars to 12 billion rials.
On Thursday, February 1, the regime’s Donya-e-Eghtesad newspaper reported that the upward trend in prices began about a month ago, but in the past 14 days, there has been a significant surge in the automotive market.
The newspaper’s report emphasized that car prices have experienced an average increase of 3.3% in the last two weeks.
Analyses show that the highest price growth is related to used imported cars, with an average growth of 7.1%.
A review of prices indicates that domestic products have, on average, increased by 200 million rials (approximately $345), representing a 3.3% growth, while assembled cars have seen a 290 million rials (approximately $500) increase, equivalent to a 1.87% price growth.
The increase in the price of cars is influenced by the rise in the value of the US dollar, one of the main factors contributing to price fluctuations in the automotive market.
Among other influential factors in the past month are the Competition Council’s withdrawal from car pricing, as well as the government’s decision to determine car prices, taking into account total costs and a 2.5% producer profit from the next year.
Another notable event in the Iranian market is the prices of imported cars. The prices of used imported cars in Iran are several times higher than their global market prices, with the government being the sole beneficiary, allowing the import of used cars and receiving customs duties.
This situation unfolds while a year has passed since the statements and plans of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade for the import of brand-new cars and used car imports, and yet no significant developments have taken place in this area.
A review of news in this sector shows that in the past year, there has been no increase in production performance by domestic car manufacturers, no stabilization or reduction in prices, and the promised imports of cars for market regulation have not materialized.
Low quality, exorbitant prices, lack of warranty and standards, and the pollution of domestically produced vehicles are among the criticisms raised by experts.
Accumulated losses of three Iranian car manufacturers reach 1,740 trillion rials
Reports from Iranian media indicate that the accumulated losses of three major Iranian car manufacturers reached 1,740 trillion rials (approximately $3 billion) by January 2024. The most indebted among them is Iran Khodro, with its debt reaching 1,040 trillion rials (approximately $1.79 billion) in January, equivalent to twice its registered capital. The continued growth of debt for the three Iranian car manufacturers comes as in May 2023, the average price of domestic cars increased by 40%. The accumulated losses for all three companies exceed their registered capital, placing them on the verge of bankruptcy according to law. On the other hand, the global automotive market reached nearly $2.9 trillion in the past calendar year and is expected to approach $3.5 trillion by the end of this decade. In the past year, sales of electric and hybrid cars worldwide experienced a 31% leap, while the Iranian car market still predominantly produces ICE cars. In 2018, the Iranian regime banned the import of foreign cars, practically monopolizing the entire market in the hands of domestic car manufacturers, subsidiaries of the government. In the midst of this, car market intermediaries are reaping substantial profits, and the Iranian automotive industry is making no progress. It is worth mentioning that the main shareholders of Iranian automotive companies are the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the substantial profits derived from the monopoly of the automotive market in Iran are used to fund terrorism in Middle Eastern countries.US, UK Impose Sanctions on Criminal Network Linked to Iran’s Regime
On Monday, January 29th, the United States and United Kingdom jointly sanctioned 11 individuals for their connections to a criminal network that has been planning assassinations of dissidents abroad at the order of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security.
Matthew Miller, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said, “
The United States and United Kingdom are taking joint action today to impose sanctions on 11 individuals for their connection to a criminal network that has targeted foreign dissidents and Iranian regime opponents for assassination at the behest of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS). The individuals designated today are believed to be involved in a network that has carried out acts of transnational repression, including numerous assassinations and kidnappings, and has also plotted operations in the United States.”
The U.S. Department of the Treasury is implementing the sanctions on these individuals following the public disclosure of the indictments by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released a statement saying:
“The OFAC and the United Kingdom are taking joint action against a network of individuals that targeted Iranian dissidents and opposition activists for assassination at the direction of the Iranian regime. The network is led by Iranian narcotics trafficker Naji Ibrahim Sharifi-Zindashti (Zindashti) and operates at the behest of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS). Zindashti’s network has carried out numerous acts of transnational repression including assassinations and kidnappings across multiple jurisdictions in an attempt to silence the Iranian regime’s perceived critics. The network has also plotted operations in the United States.”
Brian Nelson, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, also stated that the United States, along with its international allies and partners, will continue to use all available tools to hold the Iranian regime accountable for its efforts to expand its repression and ongoing violations of human rights against its own people, as well as its destabilizing actions in the Middle East and beyond.
The Department of Justice, in a statement on Monday, provided further details, stating that an Iranian national and two Canadian nationals have been accused of conspiring to use interstate commerce to lure an individual for the purpose of carrying out a murder.
According to court documents, Naji Sharifi Zindashti, 48, Damion Patrick John Ryan, 43, and Adam Richard Pearson, 29, conspired between December 2020 and March 2021 to plan the killing of two residents of the state of Maryland.
The suspects, one of whom is based in Iran, communicated through the encrypted messaging service Sky ECC. They used this messaging service to discuss the identities and locations of potential victims, plan the logistics and details of the killings, and negotiate the payment amount for carrying out these acts in the state of Maryland.
The targeted victims of this conspiracy, who were living in Maryland at the time, had fled to the United States after one of them left Iran.
Simultaneously with the issuance of the indictment on Monday, January 29, the U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on this criminal network led by Zindashti, which targeted opponents and activists opposed to the Iranian government for abduction and assassination purposes at the order of the Iranian regime.
Consequences of the sanctions:
According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, as a result of this action, all property and interests in property of these individuals that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to the OFAC. The sanctions generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within the United States (including transit transactions through the United States) that involve any property or interests in property of designated or blocked persons.
Furthermore, individuals who engage in certain transactions with the designated individuals today may themselves be subject to the sanctions. Additionally, any foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitates a significant transaction or provides significant financial services for any of the designated individuals may be subject to U.S. sanctions.
What Iran’s Regime is Hiding Behind its Warmongering in the Middle East
Iran’s regime has been engaged in a series of conflicts in the Middle East, capturing global attention since October 2023. Initially, questions arose regarding the regime’s role in sparking these conflicts. However, after three months of intense fighting and the evident involvement of Iran’s proxies in the region, it is now widely acknowledged that the regime has inflamed the entire region. But what lies behind Iran’s warmongering? The answer lies in the regime’s desperate attempts to divert attention from its internal problems.
The regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, faced with widespread discontent and ongoing uprisings, feared his own overthrow during the 2022 uprising. To safeguard the regime, Tehran’s primary objective in fomenting regional crises is to create a smokescreen that conceals the precarious internal state of the regime and the volatile conditions within Iranian society. This tactic of exporting crises abroad is not a demonstration of strength but rather a means of running away from the regime’s profound domestic vulnerabilities, as the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) writes in a new analysis report.
Iranian society is a rumbling volcano, characterized by a convergence of socio-economic challenges and escalating political repression. This volatile mix has frequently erupted into significant protests and uprisings nationwide, highlighting the regime’s failure to address the root issues. Insiders within the regime have persistently warned about the inevitable troubles that lie ahead.
One such warning came from Azar Mansouri, the Secretary-General of the Islamic Iran Nation Party, who highlighted the economic hardships faced by different groups within Iranian society. The income for various professions, including workers, teachers, and retirees, falls short of meeting their daily expenses, exacerbating the discontent among the population. Mansouri stated, “If we cannot describe this situation as insecurity, what term would be fitting for this trend of diminishing the resources available to people?”
Hossein Marashi, the Secretary-General of the Kargozaran Party, echoed these concerns, acknowledging that over 75% of the Iranian population expresses dissatisfaction. Marashi warned, “If those dissatisfied take to the streets, no one can put up with them… We have a significant dissatisfied population, a portion of whom actively protest in the streets, and a small fraction might resort to causing disturbances.”
Former intelligence interrogator Abbas Abdi pointed out the negative public sentiment towards the current political and managerial situation in Iran. Abdi cited recent polls suggesting that only 7% of Iranians advocate for the existing state of affairs. He emphasized the urgent need for effective and sustainable resolutions to address the serious disparities within Iranian society, warning of a bleak future if the regime fails to act.
The regime’s own media outlets have also issued stark warnings. The Jomhouri Eslami newspaper cautioned, “Don’t presume the people’s patience is unlimited. Beware of the day when the army of the hungry rises against you.” In a report titled “Heed the footsteps of a crisis larger than 2022,” the state-run Eqtesad24 emphasized that immediate action is required to address inequalities and prevent future unrest.
Despite the calls for change from various factions within Iran, the collective tenure of these officials at the helm of the country’s political and socio-economic affairs has fallen short of meaningful action. Iranians are disillusioned and have moved beyond the regime’s internal factions. Public statements, even those criticizing the regime’s leadership, offer no solace and cannot save the regime from the imminent burst of outrage.
Faced with an unwilling and incapable regime resistant to change, the clerical regime seeks to export its crises by instigating major conflicts in neighboring countries. Unfortunately, due to misunderstandings or the influence of the regime’s deceptive campaigns, the international community has failed to comprehend the true motives behind Iran’s illicit regional activities. The NCRI highlights the need to recognize that Tehran does not require a mere policy change but rather a complete regime change for lasting peace in the Middle East.
