The United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly states that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. In Western countries, it’s accepted that everyone is entitled to basic human rights. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case in Iran, as there is a culture of abuse of human rights by the leadership, as illustrated on Maryam-rajavi.com. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights condemned Iranian human rights violations.
What’s Happening in Iran?
For more than 40 years, a radical group of religious leaders at the head of Iran has been accused of operating a negligent and police state by killing citizens who protest or criticize the government. Getting the death penalty in Iran has become the order of the day. The government also represses the freedom of thought, expression, and association. There is evidence that the government allows rape and torture of the citizens and mass assassinations. The regime has even gone to the extremes of abusing freedom of lifestyle, which mainly affects women.
Apart from terrorism and war, Iran has been charged with human rights violations by several watchdog organizations worldwide. The reports show that human rights in Iran are highly disregarded compared to other countries.
Iranian Protests and Crackdowns
Protests in Iran erupt due to mistreatment and negligence from the government. In 2021, there were constant protests due to the nation's poor economic and social state. There were three major protests that went on for several weeks. In February, protests began in Baluchistan and Sistan province, southeast Iran. The uproar's cause was that the regime’s security forces shot dozens of fuel carriers. Locals in different cities clashed with the regime’s security forces and stormed the governorate. The government responded to these by opening fire on the locals, wounding 100 citizens, and killing 40 protestors.
In July, another protest started in Khuzestan province because of a severe water shortage due to the government’s policies. The protest was against water shortage, but people started chanting against the regime with time. Some of the protestors started asking for the regime’s overthrow. Once again, the security forces opened fire.
There were other sit-ins and protests across several cities in November, and the security forces attacked locals in Isfahan. The forces shot people in the eyes, and as a result, many people lost their eyesight. Most of these people were farmers demanding their right to water.
An Increase in the Number of Executions
The year 2021 saw a higher number of executions in Iran. As per reports from Iran HRM, 357 people were executed in 2021. In the real sense, the actual number is higher because the regime conducts many executions secretly. In December 2021, seven women and three non-adults were hanged after being charged. Hassan Rouhani’s rule ended with over 5,000 executions. Ever since Raisi became the president, the number of executions has surged, but getting the death penalty is easy.
Many political prisoners such as Javid Denghan, Ali Motiri, Hassan Dehvari, and Elias Qalandarzehi were hanged in the Central Prison. In December 2021, the regime also hanged Heydar Ghorbani, a political prisoner from the Kurdish region.
What Do Activists Say about Iran’s State?
On December 2021, the United Nations General Assembly condemned the Iranian government's gross violation of human rights. The resolution highlighted that the Iranian government never stopped violating human rights and the appointment of abusers like Raisi to top positions is a testament to the severe crisis in Iran. Raise was a leader during the 1988 massacre of more than 30,000 prisoners. In reaction to his presidency, the Amnesty International Secretary-General said that Raisi had been promoted to the presidency instead of being held accountable for his crimes against human rights. All this impunity still exists in Iran because the International community is silent and action-less to hold the wrongdoers accountable for their human rights violations.
In December 2020, seven UN experts published a letter that referred to the 1988 massacre as “crimes against humanity.” The letter was bold on the failure of international bodies to take action on the perpetrators of such impunity. This has had a great devastating impact on the survivors and the nation.
The Iranian resistance, led by the NCRI, has long stressed the need to stop crimes against humanity and genocide committed by the regime. The regime is responsible for the 1988 massacre of 30,000 prisoners and 1,500 demonstrators in 2019. They also fight for the abolition of the death penalty in Iran because of its disregard for the basic right to life. Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the NCRI’s president-elect, says that the international community should stop the Iranian regime and the impunity of top political leaders.