Iran Executes Three Political Prisoners After Sham Trial

Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi, and Saeed Yaqoubi, who are awaiting the death sentence handed down in a trial condemned as a travesty of justice by human rights campaigners, made a phone call to their families Wednesday night, cousin of Kazemi, Mohammad Hashemi said in a tweet.

He also thanked the people who have twice gathered in front of the prison to stop the execution of the three protesters.

The three inmates were convicted over the death of two IRGC’s Basij militia members and a police officer in protests in November last year, in what Persian media have dubbed the ‘Isfahan House’ case.

On Wednesday evening, protesters in cars gathered outside the jail in Esfahan in an attempt to stop the execution of three political prisoners. Security forces’ gunfire was heard around the jail during the protest.

Amnesty International also on Wednesday slammed their trial and sentencing saying it was “shocking”.

Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said: “The shocking manner in which the trial and sentencing of these protesters was fast-tracked through Iran’s judicial system amid the use of torture-tainted ‘confessions’, serious procedural flaws and a lack of evidence is another example of the Iranian authorities’ brazen disregard for the rights to life and fair trial.”

Amnesty’s statement also referred to Majid Kazemi’s audio recording from prison in which he said he was forced to make false self-incriminating statements after interrogators beat him, gave him electric shocks, subjected him to mock executions, threatened to rape him, execute his brothers and harass his parents.

Gila Gamliel, who hosted Reza Pahlavi and his wife during their five-day trip to Israel, tweeted on Wednesday that she had a "successful meeting" with the Iranian exiled prince, and two human rights activists as well as the president of the Israel Allies Foundation.

"The bloodthirsty policy of the Ayatollahs' regime, which hurts the people of Iran and the world, should mobilize the international community," she added.

She called Pahlavi's visit to her country "historic" and "the beginning of a new path towards the resumption of friendship between the nations of Israel and Iran," emphasizing that she will continue to meet and negotiate with the Iranian opposition leader in the future.

Activists Benjamin F. Chavis and Tish K. Basil, as well as President of the Israel Allies Foundation Josh Reinstein also attended the meeting between Pahlavi and Gamliel.

“Great to meet with a champion of freedom and the greatest hope for peace between Israel and Iran Reza Pahlavi,” wrote Reinstein in a tweet.

The Israel Allies Foundation was established 16 years ago in the United States and its headquarter is in Jerusalem.

Based on Christian beliefs and Judeo-Christian values it tries to support the existence and strengthening of Israel and to educate and empower legislators in countries around the world.

This foundation organizes tours to familiarize foreign politicians with the state of Israel. Israeli leftist groups criticize some of the actions of the foundation.

It seems that the Israeli government under the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu, has assigned Gamliel to continue contacts with Reza Pahlavi.

Municipality workers supported by riot police on motorbikes, masked security agents and Basij militia began demolishing the outdoor seating spaces of the cafes that have no inside seating at five in the morning on Sunday for what the district mayor, Ehsan Sharifi, said was “unlicensed use of the outside space”. 

The neighborhood was an epicenter of protests ignited by the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old woman who was fatally injured in September 2022 while in police custody following her arrest for not wearing her headscarf “properly.”

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The Basij militia of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) has four bases within the five square kilometer complex which has 15,500 apartments and a population of around 45,000. The neighborhood is very popular with professionals, artists and other educated groups with a sense of community unmatched elsewhere in the city. 

“They ransacked everything outside the little cafes. Some of these cafes like Godar and Tehroun have been here for years. It was because of hijab but they claim the residents had complained about these businesses,” a young man from Ekbatan told Iran International. 

“Do you think they were here to arrest the leader of a human trafficking band? Or that they had found a drug kitchen? Or to arrest an Interpol wanted criminal? Did they find bombs?” tweeted Shahrak Ekbatan, the neighborhood's popular twitter account after the incident.

“No! … They demolished the cafes for spreading ‘corruption and immorality”. Why? Because they are afraid of the people of Ekbatan and their solidarity,” the tweet said. 

The admin of the account who wanted to be quoted by the name Aida told Iran International that demolition of the cafes has created a greater sense of solidarity among the residents. “People immediately came to help clean up the mess they left behind and are buying more takeaway at these places to support them. 

Residents have dubbed their neighborhood as “The United States of Ekbatan” and “Autonomous States of Ekbatan”. 

“This neighborhood does not obey the laws of the Islamic Republic. Enjoy your day!” a graffiti on the wall of one of the blocks, covered in anti-regime slogans, declared recently. 

For over three decades Ekbatanis, as they like to call themselves, have hosted one of Tehran’s biggest Charshanbe Suri bonfire night festivals in late March. The police and the Basij militia, who consider the festival a pagan tradition, always cracked down on the merry-making boys and girls, who often flouted the hijab rules too, playing loud music and dancing in the leafy spaces between the buildings.

Ekbatan was also famous for its nightly anti-regime “window chanting” during last year’s protests. Residents have been chanting again from their windows since Monday after rumors emerged that three protesters were at imminent risk of execution in Isfahan. 

The demonstrators drove to the prison in central Iran to protest Wednesday night. Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi, and Saeed Yaqoubi are being held in Esfahan, awaiting the death sentence handed down in a trial condemned as a travesty of justice by human rights campaigners.

They were convicted over the death of two IRGC’s Basij militia members and a police officer in protests of November last year, in what Persian media have dubbed the ‘Isfahan House’ case.

Security forces’ gunfire was heard around the jail during the protest.

The three political prisoners wrote from jail on Wednesday urging the people to stop their execution.

Describing themselves as "children of Iran" in the letter, the three prisoners said: "Hello. We ask our dear fellow citizens not to let them kill us. We need your help. We need your support."

On Sunday night, demonstrators had gathered outside the prison hoping to stop the feared hangings.

Opposition activists say the death penalty is being used against the Isfahan House three as an intimidation tactic to stop further protests.

Campaigners say the prisoners were tortured into confessions, and there is no reliable evidence against them.

Iranian expatriate communities plan demonstrations against the executions in cities worldwide on Saturday, May 20.

Amir Hossein Tarval Iman was pardoned and released last week after eight months detention but suffered a fatal heart attack a few days later.

His lawyer Maryam Kian Ersi confirmed the death in a tweet on Wednesday.

The "Committee to Follow Up on the Status of Detainees" had announced in a report that Tarval was arrested on October 24, when regime agents raided his home in Aliabad district of Tehran. The report added that he was interrogated and tortured during the detention.

He was tried on a charge of "Moharebeh" or war against God on December 20, facing a possible death penalty.

The committee said Tarval was temporarily released from the notorious Evin prison on bail but died "suspiciously" only ten days later on May 16.

Since protests began last year, regime agents have arrested nearly 20,000 Iranians. Many have been released but a number have died apparently with no certain reason.

19-year-old Yalda Aghafazli died last month after being released from prison without any medical preconditions. Hospital tests indicated a significant amount of narcotics in her blood system.

In November, Arshia Emamgholizadeh, 16, was arrested in East Azarbaijan province for throwing the turban of a cleric. He was kept in prison for ten days and released on bail. He committed suicide two days later. He had told his friends that prison authorities gave them some pills to swallow every night, as well as torturing them.

Some doctors believe that whatever drug was given to some prisoners addicted them to a degree that after being released they experienced severe depression.