Germany : Event on executions in Iran
An event on “executions and the right to life and the death penalty in Iran,” was held in the city of Cologne in Germany, 18-19 January 2014 where many of professors, researchers, academics, dozens of human rights organizations and political parties participated.
The speakers during the event campaigned to draw the attention of world public opinion and international community on the alarming raise on the executions in Iran.
The participants presented solid reports hope to halt the executions, especially among political executions which have been doubled in recent months in Iran. The speakers also emphasized particular concerns on the situations of political prisoners and youths of non-Persian minorities such Arabs, Kurds and Balochis.
The Ahwazi Human Rights Organization (AHRO) attended the event which was organized by the Association of Iranian Researchers. AHRO representative, Saleh Hamid gave speech in which he presented the history of political executions in Ahwaz province. Mr Hamid highlighted the history of execution of the leaders of the Liberation of Arabistan (Ahwaz) since the Shah regime to the massacre in 1979 as well as the continued execution of Ahwazi Arab activists during the uprising in April 2005 to the present day.
Saleh Hamid also presented the recent executions of four activists from Fallahiya in Ahwaz province. The Iranian authority has not handed over the bodies to their families so far and has not even reported the place of execution or buried them.
Hamid explained this is the new method of the Iranian intelligence in all cases where executions of political authorities occur. The authorities do not reveal the time and the place of executions in order to prevent, those who have been executed, being considered as “martyrs”. The regime also banned the funerals to be held by their families.
Saleh Hamid condemned the suspicious silence of Human Rights Organization of Iran, the Iranian media and the force of Iranian opposition to these executions
, human rights violations in Ahwaz, other non-Persian provinces. He asked them to abide by ethical standards and the need to work on the defense of human rights for all citizens and nationalities including minorities throughout Iran under international law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He sought the removal of ideological and political prejudices from human rights issues.
Saleh Hamid explained both the deliberate and inadvertent silence of Iranian organizations comes in part from the culture of racism and hostility to the Arabs in Iran. He showed statistical figures on the incidence of poverty, the marginalization, deprivation and racial discrimination against people of Ahwazi Arab within the framework of policies of ethnicity cleansing practiced systematically. He added the regime’s policies will continue in order to further apply demographic changes of the area Arab region and its identity.
Moreover, other human rights activists were highlighted issues of human rights violations practiced by the Islamic Republic against other ethnicities and religious minorities such as Kurds, Balochis and Baha'is. They all called for halt of executions in Iran.
The participants and representatives have also signed a petition titled “halt the execution step by step”.
During the sessions of the event, which lasted for two days, movies and documentaries were presented and showed clips about the executions of political prisoners in Iran.
Ahwazi Human Rights Organization (AHRO)
January 20th 2014
