THE IRAN HUMAN RIGHTS DOCUMENTATION CENTER URGES U.N. HIGH
COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS TO VISIT IRAN
February 22, 2011
NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT – The Islamic Republic of Iran executed at
least ten people last week – at the same time its security forces were
brutally suppressing street demonstrations. Two more were executed
yesterday. The official and semi-official Iranian press reported that
all twelve people were executed for drug trafficking, a crime that
does not warrant the death penalty under international law. Also
alarming is the fact that, amid calls for the execution of opposition
leaders Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi, the authorities placed
both men under house arrest.
The ten executions were merely the latest in a steady stream of
executions. The Islamic Republic has always had a high rate of
executions – for many years it has held the number two spot following
only China. While some executions are officially announced, many are
never made public, making it difficult to know the full extent of this
practice. However, the rate of executions began accelerating last
fall to the point where in January 2011 alone, 79 people were
officially reported to have been executed. At least 60 people were
executed for alleged drug offenses, one for apostasy, and four who
were charged with Moharebeh (“enmity against God”) for their alleged
political activities.
The executions are merely one piece of the regime’s concerted effort
to suppress all forms of dissent, real or imagined. Although last
week’s demonstrations were some of the first to take place since
December 2009, the regime has spent the last year systematically
dismantling civil society organizations, arresting lawyers and
students, and shutting down communications within Iran and with the
outside world. The government’s suppression of dissent, including its
shutdown of communications, together with the house arrests of
opposition leaders and the continued high rate of executions is
alarming in its broad scope and shocking brutality.
IHRDC continues to condemn all executions and calls on Iran to stop
further executions as they violate international human rights law.
Iran must allow Iranians the freedom to express their opinions, gather
together, demonstrate, and communicate both within Iran and with the
outside world. IHRDC also urges the U.N. High Commissioner for Human
Rights, Navi Pillay to visit Iran and condemn the ever-worsening
condition of human rights in that country.
IHRDC is a nonprofit organization based in New Haven, Connecticut that
was founded in 2004 by a group of human rights scholars, activists,
and historians. Its staff of human rights lawyers and researchers
produce comprehensive and detailed reports on the human rights
situation in Iran since the 1979 revolution. The Center’s goal is to
encourage an informed dialogue among scholars and the general public
in both Iran and abroad. The human rights reports and a database of
documents relating to human rights in Iran are available to the public
for research and educational purposes on the Center’s website.
www.iranhrdc.org<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?IranHumanRightsDocum/d7775b7424/09f1bf055e/e18fb495c5>.
For further information, please contact:
Renee C. Redman, Esq.
Executive Director
Iran Human Rights Documentation Center
Tel: (203) 772-2218 Ext. 215,
Email: rredman@iranhrdc.org
Read Statement Online<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?IranHumanRightsDocum/d7775b7424/09f1bf055e/a439717611>
Tel: (203) 772-2218
Fax: (203) 772-1782
Email: info@iranhrdc.org<mailto:info@iranhrdc.org>