In this episode, we’re going to discuss the rising executions of women and the nationwide protests, particularly in the women’s wards, against the death penalty.
Our first question is to understand the current situation. Can you tell us about the recent increase in executions of women in Iran?
Certainly, the situation is quite dire. Just recently, on the morning of July 27, 2024, a woman was among four prisoners hanged in the Central Prison of Khorramabad, the capital of Lorestan Province in western Iran. While the identity of this woman has not yet been established, she was executed on drug-related charges along with the other three prisoners.
This execution marked the 15th woman executed in Iran since January 2024. The alarming rate of these executions is highlighted by the fact that at least five women were put to death in just one week, from July 21 to July 27. This rapid increase points to a disturbing trend of rising executions, particularly targeting women.
It seems that the new president has not done much to stop the regime’s use of the death penalty. Instead, he has continued the work of his predecessor, Ebrahim Raisi, by stepping up the executions. I heard 22 prisoners were hanged in just one prison in Karaj just this morning. Is that right?
Unfortunately, yes, that’s right. They executed 22 prisoners all at once in Qezel Hesar Prison in Karaj. And if that wasn’t horrifying enough, they also executed a detained protester from the 2022 uprising just the day before, on Tuesday, August 6th, in Kermanshah, western Iran. And they have executed 4 or 5 more prisoners in other places in the past couple of days.
The regime has really ramped up its executions over the past month. Public discontent is at an all-time high, and they’ve suffered military setbacks, so it seems they’re trying to use these executions to scare people into submission. It’s a brutal tactic, but sadly, it’s something we’ve seen from them before.
That’s deeply concerning. Can you share some specific information about the execution of women in Iran and the circumstances surrounding their cases?
Of course. The Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran has compiled some alarming statistics. Since 2007, at least 244 women have been executed in Iran. These numbers highlight the severe human rights abuses happening in the country, particularly against women. Iran’s justice system has been heavily criticized for its lack of transparency and fairness, often leading to unjust trials and harsh punishments.
The Iranian regime holds the dubious distinction of being the world’s top executor of women. No other government has executed so many women, and this figure doesn’t even include the tens of thousands of women executed on political grounds.
Many of the women executed by the regime were themselves victims of domestic violence and often acted in self-defense. Additionally, a significant number of women resort to drug trafficking out of sheer desperation due to rampant poverty in Iran. The economic situation forces them to engage in illegal activities to survive.
How do the executions of women in recent years compare to previous years? Have they increased or decreased?
Under the former government of Hassan Rouhani, about 15 women were executed each year on average. But under Raisi’s government in 2023, that number jumped to 26, which is 11 more than before. This sharp increase shows how the regime is using the death penalty even more as a tool of repression. It seems like the new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, is continuing this troubling trend.
Please note these figures. It is only seven months into the year, and they have already executed 15 women. So, unfortunately, we should be seeing a drastic rise in the execution of women in Iran by the end of 2024.
It’s heartbreaking to hear such stories. What has been the response from political prisoners, especially women, to these executions?
Political prisoners, especially women, have been very active in protesting these executions. In the women’s ward of Evin Prison, where many political prisoners are held, there have been several protests and sit-ins over the past month.
On July 24 and 27, the majority of female political prisoners in in Evin held a sit-in to protest the death sentence for Pakhshan Azizi. They announced that from 7 p.m., they would stay in the ward’s yard overnight and not return inside. They even symbolically set fire to a noose and chanted slogans like, “We will stand until the abolition of the death penalty” and “Death to the dictator.”
How did the authorities respond to these protests?
Well the prison’s State Security Force commander and his deputy tried to end the protest, but the female prisoners stood their ground and continued their sit-in.
However, on August 3, the prison authorities took a punitive measure in response to their sit-ins and protests against the death penalty and announced that some 40 female prisoners in Evin would be deprived of in-person visits with their families indefinitely.
Later, during another protest on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, where the women protested the execution of political prisoner Reza Rasaei, prison guards clashed with the prisoners and brutally beat them.
Several female political prisoners were injured and taken to the prison infirmary.
There are reports indicating the possibility of punitive transfers or exile of some prisoners to other locations.
Now, I should add that Reza Rasaei was one of the protesters detained in 2022 during the nationwide uprising, and there were international calls for his release and saving him from execution. But that didn’t happen, and the regime executed him on Tuesday, August 6.
These political prisoners are incredibly brave, taking such huge risks by protesting inside prisons where they’re under the control of guards and authorities. What can you tell us about their courage?
Absolutely, they are incredibly brave. These women are among the most courageous in Iran, risking a lot to stand up for their beliefs. They understand that freedom isn’t free and they’re willing to pay a heavy price for it through their resistance. That’s why you hear the slogan, “Women, Resistance, Freedom.”
They’re also part of the “Tuesdays Against Execution” campaign, a hunger strike happening in 18 prisons across Iran. For example, on Tuesday, July 30, eight female political prisoners in Lakan Prison in Rasht joined this campaign to protest the death penalty, especially the sentences given to Sharifeh Mohammadi and Pakhshan Azizi. The protests in Evin Prison have been in addition to this broader nationwide effort, showing just how committed these women are to their cause.
