In 2021 the Iranian regime carried out brute repression in the country’s prisons, public and secret dentation centers, and on the streets. In the protests of Saravan, the regime responded to the people’s demands with lethal force. It repressed the farmer’s protests in Isfahan and blinded many people with birdshot and showed it is prepared to extinguish protests at any cost.
Executions in Iran continued daily across the country’s prisons.
In 2021 the regime executed at least 349 people. The real number is believed to be much more because many executions are carried out secretly and at hidden places and are never made public.
The highest number of executions were carried out in July and the least was carried out in June.
The statistics of executions are as follows:
- 316 men in the country’s prisons
- 1 child offender (woman)
- 6 child offenders (man)
- 9 political prisoners
- 17 women
Execution sentences were implemented in Central Prisons of Ardabil, Central Arak, Esfarayen, Iranshahr, Amol, Babol, Central Boroujerd, Taybad, Jiroft, Dezful, Central Isfahan, Zabol, Sabzevar, Sepidar, Saravan, Sheiban, Shirvan, Ghaen, Ghezel Hesar, Maragheh, Gonbad Kavous, Gohardasht Central Urmia, Central Ilam, Central Birjand, Central Tabriz, Central Khorramabad, Central Rasht, Central Zahedan, Central Zanjan, Central Sanandaj, Central Shahrekord, Central Shiraz, Central Qazvin, Central Qom, Central Karaj, Central Kerman, Central Kermanshah, Central Gorgan, Central Mashhad, Mahabad, Central Yasuj, Central Yazd, Meshginshahr, Noor, Enoushahr, Neyshabur and in one part of Tehran.
Most executions took place in the central prisons of Isfahan, Gohardasht, central Zahedan, central Shiraz, central Mashhad, and central Birjand.
Some of the executions that show the regime’s ruthlessness are as follow:
- Bahauddin Qasemzadeh: He was executed on July 4 in Urmia Central Prison along with his brother, who was paralyzed.
- Ebrahim SeBakhsh: He was executed on August 2 in Isfahan’s central prison after 6 years on charges of drug smuggling.
- Sajad Sanjari was executed secretly on August 2 in Kermanshah’s prison without his family being informed in advance.
- Arman Abdolali was executed on November 24, after being transferred seven times to solitary confinement for the execution which constituted an unscrupulous behavior and torture of the prisoner.
- Ali Akbar Mohammadi, 24, was executed on December 4, after being transferred four times for the execution.
- Mohammad Tazekar was executed on December 14 in Meshgin Shahr prison after serving 3 years in prison.
The executed women
- One woman was executed in Sanandaj’s Central prison on January 27.
- One woman was executed in Ardebil’s Central prison on February 8.
- Zahra Esmaili was executed on February 17 in Ghohardasht prison. Zahra Esmaili had suffered a stroke and died at the execution place in response to the execution of the other prisoners who accompanied her, but prison officials hanged her lifeless body.
- Maryam (Masoumeh) Karimi was executed on March 13 in Rasht Central Prison.
- Nafiseh Pakmehr was executed on March 14 in Taybad prison.
- Kobra Fatemi, 41 was executed on May 23 in Yazd Central prison.
- One woman was executed on May 30 in Qazvin Central prison.
- Three women were executed on September 8 in Gohardasht prison.
- Susan Rezaee Pour was executed on October 27 in Qazvin Central prison.
- One woman was executed along with her husband on November 23 in Yasuj Central prison.
- Maryam Khakpour was executed on December 9 in Kerman Central prison.
- Three women were executed on December 9 in Kerman Central prison.
- Masoumeh Zaree was executed on December 14 in Amol prison. Her execution became dramatic after that none of the prison officials accepted to put the noose around her neck and waited for hours for her execution in front of the gallows and finally an official from outside of the prison finished the execution.
- Fatemeh Aslani was executed on 19 December in Isfahan Central prison, after nine years of imprisonment.
Nine political prisoners were executed in 2021
- Hassan Dehvari was executed on the charge of moharebeh (waging war against God and the state) on January 3 in Zahedan Central prison.
- Elyas Ghalandarzi was executed on the charge of moharebeh on January 3 in Zahedan Central prison.
- Ali Motiri was executed on the charge of moharebeh on January 28 in the Sheyban prison.
- Javid Dehghan Khalad was executed on the charge of moharebeh on January 30 in Zahedan prison.
- Jasem Heydari was executed on the charge of moharebeh on February 28 in Sheyban prison.
- Hossein Seylavi was executed on the charge of moharebeh on February 28 in Sheyban prison.
- Ali Khasraji was executed on the charge of moharebeh on February 28 in Sheyban prison.
- Nasser Khafajian was executed on the charge of moharebeh on February 28 in Sheyban prison.
- Heydar Ghorbani was executed on the charge of Baghi (armed rebellion against the state) and membership in the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran on December 19.
Arrests:
In 2021, at least 3730 people were arrested. Considering that news about arrests in Iran is not reported by the government this number is not reflecting the real statistics, and this is just a part. The most number of arrests were implemented in August and the least was implemented in December.
The statistics of arrests are as follows:
- Political arrests: 2050 people
- Arbitrary arrests: 397 people
- Social arrests: 1229 people
- Arrests of religious minorities: 54 people
Most arrests were during Isfahan’s water protests. At least 1000 people were arrested.
Torture:
Among the many acts of torture that took place in Iran in 2021, these are just some examples:
Flogging a prisoner in front of other prisoners. Insulting a prisoner by stripping his clothes in front of others. Shaving the hair of prisoners. Constant attacks by the prison guards and beating the prisoners without any reason.
Depriving the prisoners of the most basic needs. Insulting the prisoners in front of their families. Exiling the prisoners, and many other forms of inhuman behaviors.
Outside the prisons, parading youths and people for small crimes to publicly degrade and humiliate them under the pretext of thugs.
Arbitrary killings:
According to the news that was published and collected, 112 people from cargo and fuel porters, hunters, shepherds, and other people were killed by the regime’s police, security, and Revolutionary Guards forces in 2021.
