A group of prominent figures in Belgium has issued a strong statement condemning Iran’s escalating use of executions as a political tool to suppress dissent and instill fear. The statement highlights data from Amnesty International, noting that “Iran alone accounted for 74% of all recorded executions in the world in 2023.” It details how executions have intensified since the new regime’s president Masoud Pezeshkian took office, with over 100 prisoners executed in August 2024 alone, including political dissidents such as Reza Rasaei.
The signatories of the statement include high-profile Belgian political leaders and legislators, highlighting its significance. Among them are a former Prime Minister of Belgium, four leaders of the country’s main political parties, at least nine heads of parliamentary factions in the Federal Parliament and Senate, the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs, Judiciary, Health, and Social Affairs Committees, reflecting a broad consensus across Belgium’s political spectrum against Iran’s human rights violations.
The statement underscores findings from the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission (FFMI) on Iran, which declared that many of these executions constitute crimes against humanity. It also cites a report by former UN Special Rapporteur Professor Javaid Rehman, which links the regime’s actions to genocide and atrocities against specific groups.
The authors warn that Iran’s theocratic regime has been emboldened by the global community’s lack of response to decades of human rights abuses. They emphasize the growing momentum of campaigns against executions both inside Iran, where political prisoners are striking weekly, and abroad, where support for Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan to abolish the death penalty is expanding.
Source » ncr-iran