On Friday, May 19, three protesters were executed in Isfahan by the Iranian regime’s judiciary, following orders from regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Despite the widespread domestic and international protests, the prisoners, Saleh Mirhashemi, 36, Majid Kazemi, 30, and Saeed Yaghoubi, 37, were subjected to months of physical and mental torture before being falsely accused of “moharebeh” (enmity against God) and executed. The regime has used the deaths of several members of its security forces during the November 2022 protests in Isfahan to justify these executions.
Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi, and Saeed Yaghoubi were arrested in November 2022 following their participation in protests in Isfahan amid the nationwide protests triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini.
Furthermore, reports indicate that security forces have abducted the brother of Majid Kazemi.
These latest hangings come amidst a surge of executions in Iran. The regime’s judiciary also executed four others in Isfahan on Friday. In the week from Saturday, May 13 to Friday, May 19, at least 40 prisoners have been executed, and since the beginning of the current Persian month (April 21), 116 prisoners have been executed by the order of Khamenei. This means that the regime executes one person every six hours.
Following these executions, people in several cities, including Isfahan, Tehran, Karaj, Bandar Abbas, Dehgolan, Mashhad, and Mahabad, took to the streets and chanted slogans against Khamenei.
Protesters chanted:
“This year is the year of the overthrow of the regime!”
“We do not want an executioner regime!”
“Death to the dictator!”
“Death to the Khamenei!”
“We swear on the blood of the martyrs we will stand until the end!”
At the same time, seven prisoners were transferred to solitary cells in Ghezel Hesar prison in Karaj (west of Tehran) for execution.
The families of the prisoners who have been sentenced to death, Saeed Garavand, Samad Garavand, and Shahab Mansoori Nasab, gathered in front of Karaj’s Ghezel Hesar prison in protesting the transfer of their loved ones for execution. These families have gathered to save their loved ones, but security forces beat and mistreated them.
Iran accounted for 70 percent of the executions carried out in the Middle East and North Africa in 2022, according to Amnesty.
Since the mullahs came to power, they have sought to portray executions as a tool for upholding justice under various legal pretexts. The right to life is an undeniable human right, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the third article, alongside freedom and security. However, the Iranian regime has always used executions as a political tool to suppress its opponents.
In the current explosive situation in Iranian society, increasing the number of executions serves no purpose other than to promote state-sponsored violence and prevent the people from rising up. There is no doubt that religious fascism has turned to executions to combat the spirit of protesting.
The regime’s judiciary knows that this is the only way to prevent popular uprisings and protests.
