Spotlight on executions in the Islamic Republic of Iran

One year since the execution of Majid Kazemi and fellow protesters

Today marks the first anniversary of Majid Kazemi’s arbitrary execution by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Majid came to the attention of many people in Australia last year thanks to his cousin from Sydney, Mohammad Hashemi, who campaigned to try to save his life.

Majid and two other Iranians, Saleh Mirhashemi and Saeed Yaghoubi, were executed on 19 May 2023 for their involvement and participation in protests in November 2022 as part of the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising.

The government’s military arm, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, claimed that Majid, Saleh and Saaed were involved in killing two members of the IRGC’s Basij militia force and a police officer. However, with authorities lacking genuine evidence, Majid told loved ones that he gave a false confession under torture.

The three men’s death sentences were pronounced in early January 2023, and upheld upon appeal only months later on 10 May, with the executions carried out soon after.

Mohammad recently told SBS Persian that upon finding out Majid had been killed:

“Everything after that was different for me. That moment changed my life forever.”

Protests are being held in cities around the world this weekend to mark the first anniversary of the three men’s executions, including yesterday in Sydney where Elizabeth Wood, CPJP’s CEO spoke about the alarming escalation in executions in Iran.

Mohammad has been a driving force in organising the protests. As he told SBS ahead of the weekend:

“All the advocacy I'm doing for Majid, I could say it's the most important mission I have in my life… I know it's been over a year since our Woman Life Freedom uprising started. But don't forget these innocent people that were killed. Don't forget them, we need to continue the thing they started until we reach our mission.”

Alarming escalation in death sentences and executions

Unfortunately, Majid’s story is not unique.

Late last month, following a brief trial, Iranian songwriter and rapper Toomaj Salehi was sentenced to death by an Iranian Revolutionary Court on the charge of ‘corruption on earth’.

This sparked a worldwide outcry for justice and Salehi’s release from death row. Known as a critical voice representing the anti-government movement among the youth of Iran, his songs and lyrics have provided an outlet for their unapologetic call for change.

In October 2022, his song Battlefield included the lyrics:

“Woman, life, freedom, we will fight until our death,

Shoulder to shoulder like a defensive wall,

I believe in solidarity like divine faith”

Later that month, Salehi also released Divination, which speaks directly to the morality police – known as Gasht-e Ershad or the Guidance Patrol – and their actions towards women, with a lyric believed to be about Mahsa Jina Amini:

“Someone’s crime was her hair dancing in the wind.”

These are just two examples of Iran's unjustified rise in capital punishment. Amnesty International recently released a report that found at least 853 people were executed in Iran in 2023, an increase of 48% from 2022. The number of executions for drug-related convictions almost doubled. These numbers are compiled by human rights groups – official sources only recorded 125 executions.

If executions continue at the current rate, 2024 will be just as bad. Iran Human Rights reports that there have been 226 executions so far this year, with that number rising each day. This has escalated in the last month, with over 100 executions taking place in a four-week period. Another eight executions are believed to have been carried out this weekend, including at least one woman.

The rapid growth of executions further cements that there is no end in sight. The arrest of countless individuals in Iran is an act of violence and form of control. If anything, the steep rise highlights that continued advocacy and the unfaltering bravery of the Iranian people is rattling the authorities.

A terrorist designation for the IRGC?

CPJP has been calling on the Australian Government to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group. While the United States, Saudia Arabia and Bahrain have done so for over five years already, very few nations have followed suit, and none in response to their brazen activities in recent years. In January 2023, the UK indicated they would label the IRGC a terrorist group but, disappointingly, had backed away from this by July.

In a moving speech to the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy last week, Australian academic and former hostage of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kylie Moore-Gilbert called out the governments who contemplated such a move but were not brave enough to go through with it.

“I’m ashamed that as soon as the protesters were eventually brutally crushed, Western governments rushed right back into business-as-usual mode in their dealings with Tehran… To Western governments, I say: ‘It’s not too late to stand by the Iranian people in a meaningful, impactful way in their quest for freedom.’”

We highly recommend watching Kylie’s speech here. Since returning to Australia, Kylie has co-founded the Australian Wrongful and Arbitrary Detention Alliance, alongside fellow former detainees Sean Turnell and Cheng Lei, and Nick Coyle.

CPJP relies on people like you to help us continue our life-saving work. As the end of the financial year approaches, please consider making a tax-deductible donation.

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We remain ever grateful to Myuran’s family, the Campbelltown Arts Centre, and our friends at Das T-Shirt Automat for this partnership.