Human Rights Violation and Torture under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Regime

It's good to look back and refresh our memories about "Human Rights Violations and Torture under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Regime."  From Insights Into Today's Middle East:

Iranian citizens have limited human rights. Since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected President of the Islamic Republic in 2005 the human rights situation has continually deteriorated. Executions, torture, systematic arrests, and imprisonment are usual occurrences. Capital punishment is used liberally in Iran and executions are most often performed in public, often in a cruel and sadistic manner.

The Islamic regime of Iran is the country in the world with the highest record of public hangings and executions. [1]

In the course of 2007 in a new wave of executions 244 people have been killed, although Amnesty International fears that the true figure could be significantly higher. [2]

In 2006 at least 177 people were executed. [3]

That’s up from 94 people executed in 2005 according to Amnesty International. [4]

Since 2004 Iran executed 17 minors. This number is eight times higher as in every other country. [5]

Two homosexual men were hanged in public this year in accordance with Iran's criminal code that lists sexual intercourse between men as a capital offence. [6]

In some cases, Iranian courts sentence people to cruel and unusual punishment such as surgical blinding, amputation and flogging. [7]

Prisoners in Iran’s jails face solitary confinement, electric shock, rape, beatings, and staged executions. [8]

Particularly in the investigative stage of pre-trial detention when detainees are denied access to a lawyer for indefinite period’s torture remained common. In 2006 at least seven people reportedly died in custody. [9]

In July 2005 Iran’s judiciary acknowledged for the first time that human rights violations occurred and people were tortured. Despite a pledge by the head of Tehran's justice department Hojatoleslam Abbasali Alizadeh to curb mistreatment, in fact, abuse has grown far worse and the amount of torture and systematic imprisonment has escalated since then. [10]

“Under Article 1210(1) of Iran’s Civil Code, the ages of 15 lunar years for boys and nine lunar years for girls are set out as the age of criminal responsibility.” [11]


Ahmadinejad is waging a war against free speech and free expression.

Iran’s government has shut down close to 100 newspapers. [12]

In September 2006 Esmail Radkani, director-general of the government-controlled Information Technology Company, announced that his company was blocking access to 10 million “unauthorized” websites on orders from the Judiciary and other authorities. [13]

Media professionals are routinely arrested. About 30 journalists now languish in Iranian prisons. Under torture, jailed reporters are persuaded to write fake confessions and “letters of repentance” that are sometimes broadcast on national television. [14]

Iranian authorities have arrested dozens of bloggers, online journalists and editors. Those detained can be sentenced to five years in prison. [15]

Ahmadinejad has barred all literary and artistic works that endorse secularism or feminism or that contradict the party line. Publishers are heavily censored and authors are often punished with lengthy prison sentences or worse. [16]

Ahmadinejad also has outlawed much Western music, particularly modern tunes, from Iran’s radio and television stations and has banned television stations and cinemas from playing foreign films. [17]

Freedom of association in Iran is increasingly curtailed and civil society activists are restrained. [18]

Students accused of holding ideas contrary to the regime are barred from university. [19]

According to official numbers 14,635 women were detained between January and June 2007 while peacefully demonstrating for women rights and about 67,000 women were warned. [20]

On March 8, 2007 security forces attacked and broke up a gathering celebrating International Women’s Day in Tehran. [21]

Human Right defenders and activists in the Campaign for Equality of women continuing to face harassment and arrest. [22]

Dozens of the hundreds of teachers arrested during peaceful demonstrations have been sentenced to dismissal or exile. At least two have received suspended prison sentences. [23]

Ethnic minority groups are widely terrorized and oppressed. “Kurdish human rights defenders have reported a new wave of arrests and sentences of civil society and student activists.” [24]

Members of Iran's religious minorities are detained or harassed on account of their faith. [25]

 

[1] “

Iran

: Amnesty International Condemns New Wave of Executions,” Iran Press Service, 19 October 2007.

[2] Ibid.

Boniface, Susie: “Hanged From a Crane, Aged 16; Justice Iranian Style: Sick Girl Executed by Judge,” Sunday Mirror, July 23, 2006.

[3] “Amnesty International Report 2007:

Iran

”, Amnesty International.

[4] “Death Penalty Developments in 2005," Amnesty International, 20 April 2006.

[5] “Iran Leads the World in Executing Children,” Human Rights Watch, 20  June 2007.

“

Iran

: Juvenile Offenders Face the Hangman’s Noose,” Human Rights Watch, 23 September 2006.

[6] “Rights Group Says Homosexuals Face Persecution in

Iran

,” Agence

France

Presse, 08 March 2006.

[7] Stefan Wirner: „Das beredte Schweigen über den Horror im Iran," Welt online, 05 August 2007.

Amnesty International Report 2007:

Iran,

” Amnesty International.

McDowall, Angus: “Iranian Woman Awaits Stoning Decision,” The Independent, 03 August 2006.

“Public Hanging, Flogging in

Iran

,” Agence

France

Presse, 08 March 2006.

[8] “Tortured, Beaten and Sexually Abused—all in the Name of Islam: Dissident Tells of Assaults and Threats Against Children during 66 Days in Jail Run by Iran's Clerical Regime,” The Sunday Telegraph, 28 May 2006.

“Rights Group Urges Probe into Death of Jailed Iranian Student,” Agence

France

Presse, August 2, 2006. 

Smith, Joan: “

Iran

is Employing its Old Tricks to Quell Internal Dissent,” The Independent, 12 July 2006.

[9] “Amnesty International Report 2007:

Iran,

” Amnesty International.      

[10] Esfandiari, Golnaz: “

Iran

: Government Report Acknowledges Torture in Prisons,” Radio Free Europe, 25 July 2005.   

[11] “Death Penalty Developments in 2005,” Amnesty International, 20 April 2006.

[12] Smith, Joan: “

Iran

is Employing its Old Tricks to Quell Internal Dissent,” The Independent, 12 July 2006.

"Iran

Daily Ordered to Close,” Agence

France

Presse, 02 January 2006.

[13] “World Report 2007:

Iran

”, Human Rights Watch.          “

Iran,

” Reporters without borders. 

[14] “Four Years Jail for Iranian Reformist Journalist,” Agence

France

Presse, 28 August 2006.

Eqbali, Aresu: “

Iran

Urges Judiciary to Act against Media,” Agence

France

Presse, 20 August 2006.   

[15] “World Press Freedom Review 2006:

Iran,

” International Press Institute.   

Tait, Robert: “

Iran

Bans Fast Internet to Cut West's Influence,” The Guardian, 18 October 2006. 

“Iranian Censors Clamp Down on Bloggers,” AFX, 13 August 2006.

[16] “2007 Annual Report –

Iran,

” Reporters Without Borders, 2007.

Marlowe, Lara: “Few Iranians Brave Enough to Speak Out,” The Irish Times, 21 April 2006. 

[17] “Irans Behörden lassen 200 Besucher eines Rock-Konzerts verhaften,” Spiegel online, 05 August 2007.

Tait, Robert: “Western Music is Latest Target of Iran's Hartline President: Holocaust Denial Followed by Cultural Crackdown; Bee Gees and Clapton among Artists Banned,” The Guardian, 21 December 2005.

Hewett, Ivan: “Why

Iran

's Ban is a Tribute to the Power of Music,” The Daily Telegraph, 28 January 2006. 

Ghazi, Siavosh: “

Iran

Bans Foreign Films,” Agence

France

Presse, 20 October 2005. 

“

Iran

Bans Foreign Films,” The Guardian, 26 October  2005.

[18] “Amnesty International Report 2007:

Iran,

” Amnesty International.

[19] “

Iran

: Amnesty International Condemns Continued Repression of Human Rights Defenders,” Anmesty International, 16 October 2007.

“

Iran

: End Ban on Access to Higher Education,” Human Rights Watch Report.

[20] Wahied Wahdat-Hagh: “Iran: Ein Gedenktag der Frauenbewegung." Die Welt, 15 June 2007.   

“

Iran

: Women’s Rights Demonstrators Beaten and Arrested,” Amnesty International Report, 15 June 2006.

[21] “

Iran

: Release Women's Rights Advocates,” Human Rights Watch, 09 March 2007.   

[22] “

Iran

: Amnesty International Condemns Continued Repression of Human Rights Defenders,” Anmesty International, 16 October 2007.    

[23] Ibid.   

[24] Ibid. 

[25] Ibid.

 

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Friday's Open Trackback Alliance and Linkfest

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