Executions Increase Almost 300 Percent, Persecution of Rights Defenders Intensifies
(New York, September 18, 2008) – Under the administration of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, basic human rights protection in Iran has deteriorated to new lows, Human Rights Watch and the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said in a briefing paper released today.
The new paper, “Iran Rights Crisis Escalates: Faces and Cases from Ahmadinejad’s Crackdown,” documents the dire situation for human rights defenders and key dimensions of the human rights crisis in Iran today. Released ahead of Ahmadinejad’s arrival at the opening ceremonies of the UN General Assembly, the paper highlights Iran’s status as the world leader in juvenile executions. Iran is known to have executed six juvenile offenders so far in 2008, and more than 130 other juvenile offenders have been sentenced to death and are awaiting execution.
“Iran’s determination to execute juvenile offenders in such large numbers is cruel, barbaric, and earns it a medal of shame,” said Hadi Ghaemi, coordinator of the International Campaign for Human Rights. “It is time to abolish the death penalty for children in Iran.”
The report also notes the skyrocketing number of total executions under Ahmadinejad. In July 2008, 29 men were hanged on a single day, but the authorities announced the names of only 10 of them. The number of executions has nearly quadrupled under Ahmadinejad’s presidency, rising from 86 cases in 2005 to 317 cases in 2007 – almost a 300-percent increase.
Prosecution of dissidents for their peaceful beliefs and opinions has also intensified in recent years. Human rights defenders are routinely harassed and imprisoned for reporting and documenting rights violations.
“Iran should release all political prisoners and end its suppression of dissent,” said Akbar Ganji, an Iranian journalist and former political prisoner.
Iranian authorities have systematically thwarted peaceful and legal civil society efforts to advocate for women’s rights. Women’s rights advocates have been beaten, harassed, persecuted, and prosecuted.
“Despite harsh government repression, Iranian women are increasingly demanding their rights,” said Mehrangiz Kar, a prominent Iranian lawyer and women’s rights scholar.
Ahmadinejad’s Intelligence Ministry has targeted Iranians who have active professional ties abroad, accusing them of being agents of Western efforts to instigate a “velvet revolution” in Iran. Three Iranians with academic ties to US institutions are currently being held and interrogated. Arash and Kamiar Alei are world-renowned AIDS physicians who have been in arbitrary detention since June 22, 2008. Mehdi Zakerian, a legal scholar who was scheduled to teach at the University of Pennsylvania this semester, was detained by security agents three weeks ago. The authorities have not provided any information about his situation.
“Arbitrary detentions of scholars harm Iran’s cultural and educational ties with the outside world,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa division. “Ahmadinejad should end the persecution of Iranian academics and intellectuals.”
The paper concludes that the human cost of Ahmadinejad’s policies is registering a heavy toll on Iran’s most vital nongovernmental sectors. It is imperative for the international community to take up the opportunity of Ahmadinejad’s presence at the United Nations to voice its concerns about the increasingly grave human rights violations in Iran.
دیده بان حقوق بشر و کمپین بین المللی حقوق بشر در ایران، امروز در گزارش جدید خود اعلام کردند که در دوره ریاست جمهوری احمدی نژاد حفاظت از حقوق اساسی بشر در ایران به شدت تقلیل پیدا کرده است.
“چهره ها و نمونه هایی از سرکوب احمدی نژاد” که امروز منتشر شد، گزارش مستندی از وضعیت بسیار هولناک و نگران کننده برای مدافعان حقوق بشر و ابعاد اصلی بحران حقوق بشر در ایران است. در این سند که پیش از ورود احمدی نژاد برای شرکت در مراسم افتتاحیه مجمع عمومی سازمان ملل منتشر شده است، اعدام نوجوانان بزهکار و مقام پیشتازی ایران در اعدام نوجوانان در سطح جهان برجسته شده است.
از ایران بعنوان تنها کشوری یاد می شود که در سال ۲۰۰٨ میلادی، ۶ نوجوان بزهکار در آن اعدام شده اند. بیش از ۱٣۰ نوجوان دیگر که به اعدام محکوم شده ند در صف انتظار اجرای احکام اعدام هستند.
هادی قائمی سخنگوی کمپین بین المللی حقوق بشر در ایران گفت: “اصرار ایران در اعدام نوجوانان بزهکار آنهم به این وسعت، عملی ظالمانه و وحشیانه است و مدال شرم را نصیب ایران کرده است.” هادی قائمی تاکید کرد که “دیگر زمان آن رسیده است که حکم اعدام برای کودکان در ایران لغو شود.”
در این گزارش همچنین اشاره شده است که تعداد کل اعدامها در دوره ریاست جمهوری احمدی نژاد سر به فلک کشیده است بطوری که درتیرماه سال ۱٣٨۷، فقط در یک روز، بیست و نه نفر اعدام شدند، در حالیکه مقامات فقط اسامی ۱۰ را اعلام کردند. تعداد اعدامها در دوره ریاست جمهوری احمدی نژاد تقریبا ۴ برابر شده و از ٨۶ اعدام در سال ۲۰۰۵ میلادی به ٣۱۷ مورد در سال ۲۰۰۷ افزایش پیدا یافته است، یعنی افزایشی در حدود ۴۰۰ درصد.
سرکوب دگراندیشان نیز بخاطر عقاید مسالمت آمیزشان در سالهای اخیر شدت گرفته است. مدافعان حقوق بشر بطور مداوم تحت آزارو اذیت هستند و بخاطر ثبت و گزارش نقض حقوق بشر زندانی می شوند.
اکبر گنجی؛ روزنامه نگار و زندانی سیاسی سابق گفت :”ایران باید همه زندانیان سیاسی را آزاد کرده و به سرکوب دگردندیشان پایان دهد.”
مقامات ایرانی بطور نظام مند بر سر راه تلاشهای صلح آمیر و قانونی جامعه مدنی در دفاع از حقوق زنان مانع ایجاد می کنند. مدافعان حقوق زنان مورد آزارد، ضرب و شتم و سرکوب قرار می گیرند و محاکمه می شوند.
مهرانگیز کار، حقوقدان و محقق سرشناس حقوق زنان در این مورد گفت “علیرغم سرکوب خشن دولتی، زنان ایران همچنان با شدت خواسته های حقوقی شان را مطرح می کنند.”
وزارت اطلاعات در دولت احمدی نژاد متخصصین ایرانی را که با خارج ارتباط دارند هدف قرارداده و آنها را به عامل کشورهای غربی برای به راه انداختن “انقلاب مخملی” در ایران متهم می کند. در حال حاضر سه ایرانی که با دانشگاهها و موسسات علمی در امریکا ارتباط داشتند، در بازداشت و تحت بازجویی هستند. آرش و کامیار علایی، پزشکان متخصص ایدز که در سطح جهان شناخته شده هستند، در دوم تیرماه ۱٣٨۷ بطور خودسرانه بازداشت شدند. مهدی ذاکریان، محقق امور حقوقی، در حالی که برای تدریس در ترم پاییز سال جاری در دانشگاه پنسیلوانیا آماده می شد، بطور خودسرانه توسط نیروهای امنیتی سه هفته قبل بازداشت شد. تاکنون مقامات در مورد وضعیت این متخصصین هیچ اطلاعاتی منتشر نکرده است.
سارا لی ویتسون، مدیر بخش خاورمیانه و شمال آفریقا در دیده بان حقوق بشر گفت “بازداشت خودسرانه محققین به روابط فرهنگی و اموزشی ایرانیان با جهان خارج لطمه می زند. احمدی نژاد باید به سرکوب دانشگاهیان و روشنفکران ایرانی خاتمه دهد.”
گزارش منتشر شده چنین جمعبندی می کند که هزینه انسانی سیاستهای احمدی نژاد تلفات سنگینی است که بیشتر بر بخش های بنیادین جامعه مدنی در ایران وارد می شود.از این رو ضروری است که جامعه جهانی از فرصت حضور رئیس جمهور احمدی نژاد در سازمان ملل استفاده کرده و نگرانی های خود را از وضعیت ناگوار نقض حقوق بشر که در ایران شدت گرفته است، ابراز کند.
2 comments:
I am the person whom you used the word "bachareh" for him after my short comment in Roshangari.com. I am going to itemize my comment to make it as clear as possible for you so we Iranian people just talk around the bush: as Mr. Banisadr says we Iranian know what we do not want, but we do not know what we want.
1. "What are you talking about" is a slang and it is not a bad thing at all. I assume you are in Germany and you are not familiar with English slangs. That's fine up to now. But, please keep in your mind that your "talk' mirrors your "thought". The street words are not for intelectuals, and when you use it, I would have a hunch about the level of your education.
2. The story was like this: Mr. Mohamad Ali Isfahani believes he is not nationalist and it is fine by me. I knew that before, and then I saw your comment, and I just add that being nationalist is not bad unless you be an internationalist. Those guys in Roshangari.com did not publish my comments, and on the other hand they used harsh words about me. To be honest with you, those guys need a psychologist to treat their delusion. Like Atomic Mullah's regime that sticks "nonselves" to C.I.A and Isreal, they sticked me to Mojahedin and even they have gone too far and they said they know me. This is just an absolute delusion. I am still laughing at their ignorance. Although I explained it to them to prevent their big mistake, still they insist on their ignorance. Still that's fine with me up to now as I know these guys, and how they live with their halucinations.
3. But, you sent another comment and thanked Mr. Alef about his explanation and you called me "bachareh". It is interesting that you do not know me at all, and allegedly your weblog is about human rights and you put comments about the person you have never seen! If I disclose my name and my position, do you have the gut to publish it in your weblog? I have doubt about it.
4. I love my mother land and I am a nationalist, and I am proud of that. Also, I wish Mr. Mohamad Ali Isfahani, our internationalist gentleman would read the books by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn who passed away lately. I am not going to talk about Mr. Isfahani as he is not here and I would like to talk with him face to face, without any nervousness and anxiety as he is. People in my mother land sell their kids and fighting with their blood and flesh and those internationalists are happy that Atomic Mullah's regime is interdigitating with Imperialism.
5. Anyhow, do you still belive that you know me and are you ready to thank Mr. Alef in Roshangari.com again? This comment is just to remind you that be careful when you talk about people who you do not know. looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Dear commentator,
You are mistaken about my lack of familiarity with the English language (including American slang) ,and about my referring to you as "bachareh". This was the name I gave to the person who lamented not understanding English; thus the response in "finglish".
But this is not a personal weblog , rather a group one concentrating on substance. And so let us not proceed in this style and in such a mode.
With regards,
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