Ali Safavi, Originally published in Townhall, December 23, 2023
Since the massive consecutive uprisings that began in 2017, a grim reality has taken root in Iran. It is a story of widespread human rights violations that stain the conscience of the world. Yet there is a conspicuous silence in the media.
Recent UN condemnations have put a spotlight on the gruesome executions of a 17-year-old and a 22-year-old, exposing the regime’s macabre distinction as the world’s leading child executioner.
As popular dissent mounts, the regime’s brutality intensifies and the noose claims more victims: Milad Zohrevand, 21, who participated in last year’s uprising; Ali Saber Motlaq, 62, a longtime supporter of the main opposition Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK); Kamran Rezaei, 32, who participated in the 2019 uprising.
The regime’s unbridled killing spree, which included 37 executions in just 9 days and a staggering 123 in November alone, reveals a sinister tableau of a theocracy completely out of control.
In November, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the hangings. Yet as we near the end of the year, a staggering 793 executions have been carried out, including 22 dissidents, 21 women, and two juveniles, marking a 30 percent rise over the corresponding period in 2022.
https://townhall.com/columnists/alisafavi/2023/12/23/irans-human-rights-tragedy-and-a-nations-struggle-for-democracy-n2632760The transgressions of the clerical regime go far beyond the crimson stains of executions. The enactment of new draconian measures in September is a grotesque reminder of the relentless subjugation of Iranian women. Consider the heartbreaking fate of Armita Garavand, a 16-year-old who paid the ultimate price for the basic freedom to choose what to wear. READ MORE