Forty political prisoners in Evin Prison signed a joint statement protesting the issuance of death sentences for six political prisoners. In the statement, they expressed their “fundamental opposition to the death penalty” and declared their support for all political and ideological prisoners facing such sentences.
The joint statement of the political prisoners reads: “The increasing trend of issuing and executing numerous death sentences against political prisoners over the past two years not only recalls the state repression of the 1980s but also reflects the fear and panic of the political elite in response to the rise of a just and awakening society in Iran.”
On December 1, six political prisoners were sentenced to death by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran on charges of “rebellion through membership in groups opposing the regime.” These individuals were arrested in connection with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI).
The six political prisoners are Akbar Daneshvarkar, Mohammad Taghavi Sangdehi, Babak Alipour, Pouya Ghobadi Bistuni, Vahid Bani-Amerian, and Abolhasan Montazer.
The statement notes that the collective death sentence for these six political prisoners comes shortly after a group of youth faced similar sentences in a case referred to as the “Ekbatan kids.”
The statement further highlights other death sentences issued since March 21 against political prisoners such as Pakhshan Azizi, Varisheh Moradi, Shahriar Bayat, Behrooz Ehsani, Mehdi Hassani, and Mohammad Javad Vafaie-Sani. It adds, “The 2022 uprising, as a significant milestone in the Iranian people’s struggle for freedom, has so shaken the foundations of the established government that it sees no choice but to intensify repression in various forms.”
The statement continues, “We believe that the struggle for freedom requires collective solidarity in defending human rights, including the formation of social resistance against the issuance of death sentences.”
These political prisoners called on all Iranians and social groups to join them in protesting “by any means possible against these inhumane and reactionary sentences.”
They emphasized, “Today is the time to stand in the streets against executions. It is the time to save the lives of political prisoners, the time to say, ‘No to executions.’”
