Iran Escalates Abuse Against Political Prisoners

Latest Developments

The Islamic Republic of Iran is escalating its campaign of repression against political dissidents, denying medical care to prisoners in need of treatment, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) stated on August 21. According to the New York-based nonprofit, at least 34 political prisoners across Iran were “systematically denied access to proper medical services” between June 1 and August 15. CHRI claimed that the denial of proper care is “politically motivated” and carried out with full knowledge of the “prisoners’ illnesses.” Iranian authorities allow political prisoners to deteriorate without informing or cooperating with the victims’ families.

On August 19, 43 activists and human and women’s rights organizations signed a joint statement highlighting the abuses against female political prisoners at Iran’s notorious Evin Prison and demanding accountability. Iranian security forces had violently cracked down on a peaceful protest in the women’s ward of the jail on August 6, assaulting and beating several female inmates — some of whom lost consciousness and were subsequently denied proper treatment. Another case involves Rezvaneh Ahmadkhan-Beigi, an inmate who is seven months pregnant and “suffering from multiple illnesses” that are “very dangerous” for both herself and her unborn child, Voice of America reported.

Expert Analysis

“Iranian political prisoners, in a recent letter to President Joe Biden, asked him to impose ‘heavy and comprehensive sanctions’ on the Islamist regime. Denying the regime the chance to accumulate financial resources is an effective way to improve human rights conditions in Iran as the regime uses these resources to oppress the Iranian people. However, the Biden-Harris administration has done the opposite.” — Saeed Ghasseminejad, FDD Senior Iran and Financial Economics Advisor

“The Islamic Republic’s denial of medical care to political dissidents can stem only from its inherent cruelty rather than any legitimate conception of justice. Washington needs to speak up against this brutality and exact a price from the regime, at the very least by imposing crippling economic sanctions.” — Tzvi Kahn, FDD Research Fellow and Senior Editor

Executions in Iran

Executions in Iran are surging, including 36 executions in the space of 24 hours on August 7. The Norway-based nonprofit Iran Human Rights (IHR) noted that “group executions of this size are unprecedented in the last two decades,” and that “the last recorded case was at the height of the 2009 nationwide protests when 20 people were executed for drug-related offences in Rajai Shahr (Gohardasht) Prison on 3 July 2009.”

According to IHR data, the Islamic Republic has executed 388 people — including 15 women — in 2024 to date. In 2023, Iran executed at least 834 people, compared to 582 people in 2022 and 333 people in 2021. These figures do not include the hundreds of protestors killed by Iranian security forces since nationwide demonstrations began in September 2022. Iran has consistently ranked only behind China in the number of total executions it conducts each year.

Protests Continue in Iran

Despite the regime’s campaign of repression, protests in Iran persist. According to FDD’s protest tracker, 115 protests have occurred in August so far. In July, 154 demonstrations took place. In June, at least 166 protests unfolded. Since September 2022, more than 7,000 protests and 25,000 arrests have transpired. Iranian security forces have killed at least 645 protesters, not including the executions formally committed by the judiciary.

Related Analysis

“Iran Executes 36 Convicts in 24 Hours,” FDD Flash Brief

“Executions in Iran Surge as Presidential Inauguration Nears,” FDD Flash Brief

“Jewish Man Facing Execution Under Iran’s Apartheid Laws Targeting Minorites,” FDD Flash Brief

“Iran’s Noor Plan Intensifies Crackdown on Women,” FDD Flash Brief