The United Nations characterized the Iranian government as engaged in an “unprecedented execution spree.” According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), over 1,000 executions have been carried out since the start of the year.
The OHCHR reported that at the time of their findings, up to nine executions were occurring daily, with victims primarily accused of murder and drug-related offenses.
To raise global awareness of their predicament, approximately 1,500 Iranian prisoners on death row in Ward 2 of Ghezel Hesar Prison commenced a hunger strike on October 13. This group included 17 members of the Iranian dissident organization Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK).
A spokesperson from the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) informed Digital that Iran had previously executed two MEK members on July 27 and has yet to return their bodies to their families.
The hunger strike has since expanded to Wards 1 and 4 in Ghezel Hesar Prison, as well as to the notorious Evin Prison. The NCRI asserts that prison officials have attempted to break the strike and has circulated footage of prisoners in Ward 3 consuming food to “falsely claim that there is no hunger strike in Ward 2.”
In an exclusive statement provided to Digital, the striking prisoners communicated, “Our forbearance has been exhausted by this perpetual oppression and the seizure of the lives of prisoners and young individuals. Daily and weekly, some of our cellmates are dispatched to the gallows, and many of us pass our nights in the terrifying contemplation of death. These represent the most agonizing periods for our lives and our families. We demand the in Iran.”
The NCRI told Digital that executions have intensified in recent days, with 38 taking place between October 13 and October 15. This surge pushed the total “number of executions during the 14½ months of [Masoud] Pezeshkian’s presidency” to “an unparalleled record of 2,008 prisoners.”
Maryam Rajavi, the NCRI’s president-elect, urged “immediate action from the United Nations, U.N. Security Council members, the European Union, and international human rights organizations to put an end to this dreadful situation in Iran under the governance of the criminal mullahs.”
Iranian inmates have appealed to António Guterres, urging him to speak up and intercede on their behalf.
Digital inquired whether the U.S. was contemplating further sanctions against Iranian leaders due to the recent surge in executions. A State Department spokesperson stated, “We vehemently condemn the Iranian regime’s practice of using executions to kill individuals for exercising fundamental human rights, including engaging in peaceful protests for an improved life.”
The spokesperson further added, “For decades, Iranians have endured torture and fraudulent trials leading to executions and other harsh penalties, frequently with coerced confessions serving as the sole evidence presented against them. We will persist in holding the Iranian regime accountable, guaranteeing it confronts severe repercussions for its atrocious actions.”
Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesperson for Guterres, communicated to Digital, “We remain resolutely opposed to and continue to denounce the application of the death penalty in Iran, and indeed globally.”
Previously this month, the U.N. Human Rights Council attracted broad censure following its decision to elect Iran to its advisory committee.