2023 marks as a grim year for Iran. What started as a protest against the murder of Mahsa (Jina) Amini has moved beyond that into a revolutionary movement.
The aspect that makes it such, is that people in Iran have no compunctions about what this regime represents: a bloodthirsty dictatorial regime. A survey undertaken by GAMAAN articulates the complete rejection of the Islamic regime by the majority of Iranians with over 80% wanting regime change (LINK). With the regime rejected in the hearts and minds of Iranians, the end of the regime becomes inevitable.
The regime is due to hold ‘elections’ in March. Many are predicting that in the lead up to this event, the regime will do two things: try to control the narrative externally by releasing some political prisoners that should never have been jailed; and using force to quell dissent and stop any hint of protests taking place.
What does the use of force look like?
The Islamic regime killed more Iranians through executions per capita, than any other country in the world. About 850 people were executed in Iran’s jails in 2023. This rate of execution has not been since in at least 7 years and it represents a 43% increase in executions as compared to 2022.
Executions are especially being used to torment minority groups who have been at the forefront of much of the persistent protests, such as the Baloch (22%) and Kurdish (19%) Iranians. Most are for minor crimes or ‘drug’ related crimes and following unfair trials.
Nobody is spared from executions, including women or children. In 2023 the regime executed twenty two women and five children (under 18 years). (LINK)
Unfortunately, executions are not the only form of cruelty that Iranians are subjected to.
Kolbars who come from Iran’s Kurdish community, are those that move goods on foot over the mountain range between Iraq and Iran. Regardless of age (they range from children, to old men), they have come under fire by the Islamic regime, that shoot at them with complete disregards to whether they are civilians or not, with 333 having lost their lives due to this.
Many of those jailed are subject to extreme forms of torture that have led to the deaths of many including children (Barzin Hamzeh-Zadeh and Mohammad Rakshani).
Executions and Women, Life, Freedom
With the cry for freedom continuing unabated, despite it dropping off the news in the Western World, the regime has used executions to stop any recurring protests. Sadly, in 2023 the regime also killed the following Women, Life, Freedom protesters:
- Mohammad Mehdi Karami
- Seyed Mohammad Hosseini
- Majid Kazemi
- Yacoub
- Saleh Mirhashemi
- Milad Zohrevand
Currently, many more are at risk of execution including Reza Resaei, Mojahed Kourkour, Farshid Hassanzahi, Mansour Dahmardeh, Mohsen Mazloum, Vafa Azarbar, Pejman Fatehi and Mohammad Farmarzi.
Iranians unite against the use of executions
With no end in sight to the use of the death penalty to suppress Iranians, human rights organisations have united, to demand and end to executions. This is where you can help.
ACT
- Write to the Foreign Minister or your local MP. Here is a letter template: LETTER
- Share and sign the letter calling on world leaders to demand an end to executions in Iran by emailing: uteeiran@gmail.com
- Sign this petition: https://www.amnesty.org/en/petition/stop-the-execution-spree-in-iran/
- Follow me on Instagram, where I post regularly on executions in Iran @women.life.freedom.023
- If there is a rally, join a global rally for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in Iran.
You have the power. As the evidence shows, the regime kills when attention is diverted. Please keep posting and sharing the stories of Iran.
Women, Life, Freedom 