Human rights crisis in Iran as Islamic regime executes 55 protesters

Since September last year, around 5 dozen people have lost their lives in these executions. The protesters have been on streets after 22-year-old student Mahsa Amini was killed by the Iranian government for not wearing a 'burqa'.

New Delhi, Jan 31: Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) has warned the global community of the worsening human rights conditions in Iran. The organisation has reported that more than 55 citizens have been executed so far by the Islamic regime even as protests continue to rage in the country. The situation may worsen if the global community does not raise its voice against the State-sponsored killings of the protesters, IHR has further warned.

Not only IHR, even UN Rights and Amnesty International have condemned the executions of the Iranian protesters and showed their concerns. These human rights organizations have accused the Islamic regime of Iran of using capital punishment as an instrument of intimidation.

Over the last couple of months, the Iranian government has tried to use State-sanctioned murders to quell the protests. Since September last year, more than five dozen people have lost their lives in these executions. The protesters have been on the streets after Mahsa Amini, a 22 years old student was killed by the government forces for not wearing a 'burqa'.

Weaponization of criminal procedures

Islamic regime of Iran knows how to use the State machinery to suppress the protests and that is how the 55 executions have happened without following any due process or the principles of natural justice. Condemning the killings, UN Rights chief Volker Turk has said that the Islamic regime of Iran is weaponizing criminal procedures to punish demonstrators and this is nothing but State-sanctioned murders.

Echoing its voice with the UN Rights, Amnesty too showed its concerns, especially as the reports have come that Iranian government subjected three men to inhuman torture before they were sentenced to death in December last year. The Iranian government has been using methods like floggings, electric shocks and often hangs the activists upside down to scare the protesters.

Medieval-era justice, an alarming upsurge in executions

Human rights activists are of the view that the Iranian government is following the laws that were practised 1,400 years ago. These are being used to hunt down protesters. In fact, various figures have come regarding the execution of protesters. Some claim that in 2022 alone, more than 500 people were hanged.

Data for the year 2021 shows that at least 333 people were executed, for the year 2020 the number was 267. Thus, Iran has seen an unprecedented increase in the numbers of people being executed.