In spite of international criticism over the treatment of protesters, human rights abuses under the Iranian Regime have dramatically increased in the past month.
The fates of over 8,000 detained protesters are uncertain, on some days they are being threatened with the death penalty and on some days they will be released once the protests that have gripped Iran have died down.
If this seems a little confusing, it’s designed to be. The Iranian Regime thinks that the best way to deter future protesters is to keep them in the dark about how they will be treated.
The detained protesters have been visited by a delegation of Iranian MPs under the pretext of checking that the protesters are being treated well. However, given the length of time it took to set up the tour and the number of prison authorities who were present on the tour and the fact that the protesters were not allowed to talk privately with the MPs, this looks like more of a publicity stunt.
It is also worth noting that the Iranian Regime does do not have a hardliner versus moderate dynamic so there is no reason to believe that any members of the Iranian Regime were particularly concerned with the welfare of the protesters.
Some of the imprisoned have even been tortured to death, with their murder covered up as suicides despite clear evidence against.
Other human rights violations
Aside from the abuses against the protesters, there is the matter of significant human rights violation in Iran that are ongoing, including executions, cruel punishments, and restrictions on women.
In January, at least three juvenile offenders were executed in Iran, while another 80 are on death row.
Magdalena Mughrabi, Amnesty International’s the Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director said: “By carrying out this unlawful execution, Iran is effectively declaring that it wishes to maintain the country’s shameful status as one of the world’s leading executors of those who were children at the time of their crime.”
At least 29 women were arrested last month for removing their hijabs in public in order to speak out against the sexist law. The Regime called them drug users and threaten to target not just the women but their families too.
US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said: “The United States supports the Iranian people who are protesting against women being forced to wear the hijab. We condemn the reported arrests of at least 29 individuals for exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms by standing up against the compulsory hijab.”
With all of these human rights abuses, is it any wonder that the Iranian people are protesting?
Reza Shafiee from the National Council of Resistance of Iran, wrote: “One thing is certain that the protests are here to stay and the theocratic regime in Iran can only make things them by imposing more restrictions, torture and executions. The outside world can play an important role in supporting the protesters and their demands by keeping the regime on a short leash.”
Source » ncr-iran