Iran: Bloody Wednesday – OpEd

In an unprecedented crime, the executioners of Iran’s dictator, Ali Khamenei, hanged at least 20 prisoners on Wednesday, February 26.

Executions continue in several prisons across the country, while the regime refuses to disclose the exact statistics and the identities of the victims.

A Wave of Unprecedented Executions

On Wednesday, February 26, in an extreme act of brutality, 20 prisoners were executed. Among them were:

At Ghezelhessar Prison: Mosayyeb Azizi, Sajjad Eghbali-Garavand, Bahman Houshmand, Alireza Basati-Nia, Mostafa Hajir-Pirouz, as well as five other detainees. 

In Kermanshah: Behrouz Safari-Ghaleh-Zanjiri, Milad Moradi, Ali Tcheshmeh-Sefidi, Mohammad Fereydouni, and three other prisoners.

In other cities: Abdollah Safarzehi in Birjand, Javad Mohammadkhani in Isfahan, and Mir Mohammad Paridar in Ahvaz.

With this wave of executions, including several Kurdish prisoners, the mullahs’ regime is displaying unprecedented brutality, desperately trying to hold onto power. However, these crimes will only fuel public outrage and strengthen the determination of Iranian youth to overthrow this oppressive regime.

Amnesty International has also sounded the alarm regarding the imminent execution of Behrouz Ehsani (69) and Mehdi Hassani (48), calling for urgent international intervention. The organization has also warned about the case of Pakhshan Azizi (40), a Kurdish humanitarian worker, whose execution appears imminent, urging for global mobilization to prevent this injustice.

Executions in Iran in 2024

According to a statement from the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the number of executions recorded in 2024 has reached 1,000 prisoners, including 34 women and 7 juvenile offenders. This marks a record high in 30 years. However, due to many secret executions, the actual number is likely much higher.

Executions in 2024 have increased by 16% compared to 2023, when 864 executions were recorded. According to Amnesty International, Iran accounted for 74% of all global executions in 2023, an alarming figure.

The data analysis reveals that the surge in executions in 2024 is directly linked to the regime’s crises and failures:

• 11% of executions occurred in the first quarter, and 17% in the second quarter, ahead of the parliamentary elections (February) and presidential election (June).
• 25% of executions took place in the third quarter.
• However, in the fourth quarter, as economic and social crises intensified and the regime suffered major regional defeats, executions skyrocketed: 47% of all executions this year occurred during this period.

Since July 30, under the presidency of Massoud Pezeshkian, 695 executions have been recorded, accounting for nearly 70% of the annual total. On October 8, defending these executions, Pezeshkian cynically stated: “Those who talk about human rights ask why we execute a murderer…”

Increase in Executions of Women and Minorities

• Among the executed prisoners, 34 were women, and 7 were minors at the time of the alleged offenses.
• The average age of the 491 identified victims is 36 years.
• Ethnic and religious minorities are disproportionately targeted.
• 119 executed prisoners were Baluchis, a historically marginalized community.

Four executions were publicly staged, as part of a deliberate strategy of intimidation.

Executions for Drug-Related Charges: A Hypocritical Reality

More than half of the victims (502 prisoners) were executed on drug-related charges.

This, despite evidence revealing that since the fall of the Syrian dictator, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) controls a vast drug trafficking network, generating tens of billions of dollars in the region and worldwide. Only a fraction of these operations has been exposed.

Inhumane Punishments and the Impunity of the Elite

In yet another act of barbarism, the fingers of two brothers’ right hands were amputated in Urmia Prison, while two other detainees suffered the same fate in Qom.

Meanwhile, massive embezzlement and widespread corruption among regime elites go unpunished, becoming a normalized practice within the power structure.

The only so-called “progress” in human rights this year? Iran’s judicial authorities announced that “anesthesia is now permitted during the amputation of thieves” (Asr Iran, December 25, 2024).

A Call for International Action

Maryam Rajavi, leader of the Iranian Resistance, has reiterated that political and economic relations with this regime must be conditioned on the cessation of executions, torture, and terrorism in Iran.

Without strong international action, the regime will continue to use executions and torture as instruments of terror to stay in power.