In June, the Iranian regime elevated Judiciary Chief and 1988 Death Commission member Ebrahim Raisi to the position of president, and this is actually quite indicative of how human rights abuses were commonplace that month; from executions to religious discrimination.
Executions
Iran, which has the highest per-capita execution rate in the world, executed at least eight people in June; two of these were for offences that do not carry the death penalty in most of the world. Of course, as is the case for most statistics in Iran, these should be considered the lowest numbers because of the regime’s secrecy.
Political prisoner Hassan Kheiri was also sentenced to death for “waging war on god”, although his lawyer plans to appeal it.
Arbitrary murders
The Revolutionary Guards and state security forces killed at least 13 people without a trial, mostly fuel traders and Kurdish porters from Sistan and Baluchestan province. Another 17 were injured when they were shot at by these forces.
Torture
At least two prisoners – Kazem Hazbavi and Masoud Kahanky-Gongi – died under torture, and three more died because they were denied medical treatment. Hazbavi was run over by police and taken to the police station, even though he was injured, and tortured further, while Baluch prisoner Kahanky-Gongi was killed in a detention centre after a beating.
In addition, at least 22 people, including labour activist Esmail Gerami, were sentenced to a total of 850 lashes, which is considered a form of torture under international law.
Freedom of expression violations
There were many protests by Iranian oil and petrochemical workers, which resulted in the firing of 700 striking contract workers from Tehran’s oil refinery. This indicates that peaceful protesters have no way to protest.
One worker said: “We protested against our low wages, but instead they gave us settlement forms to fire us. Someone from the government or from the people should come and support us.”
Discrimination against religious minorities
Two Baha’i citizens – Dorsa Dehghani and Sina Kamali – were arrested separately in Shiraz and forced to make confessions by security forces.
Meanwhile, Baha’i motocross champion Shahrzad Nazifi was sentenced to eight years in prison by Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, banned from leaving Iran for two years, and sentenced to three months’ forced labour. Her crimes were supposedly “managing illegal groups with the aim of disrupting the country’s national security” and “incorrect motive and inner desire to destroy the religious system”.
All of our information comes from the Iran Human Rights Monitor’s June 2021 report on human rights abuses, but more information is available here.
