More Than 200 Iranian Activists Call For Campaign To Halt Executions
More than 200 Iranian civil activists, writers, and family members of victims of the Islamic republic have signed a statement inviting activists and unions in Iran to launch a campaign to stop executions there amid threats from lawmakers that harsher punishments are needed for protesters during the current wave of unrest.
The 235 signatories of the letter said they were prompted by the recent executions of two protestors as the authorities ratchet up their brutal crackdown on dissent, which was set off in mid-September by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody.
The letter says the execution of Mohsen Shekari and Majidreza Rahnavard is one of the tactics being used by the government to silence people who are fed up with the repressive government of the Islamic republic, "people who come to the streets every day with empty hands and become more united against the oppression of the regime."
"These executions, which are often carried out following unfair trials and in violation of the most basic human rights, are examples of clear discrimination against the most helpless, deprived, and vulnerable people, including immigrants, religious minorities, people with a low socioeconomic base, women, and gender minorities," the letter says.
Rahnavard was hanged in a public execution on December 12 -- just 23 days after he was arrested -- following his conviction for killing two members of the security forces. The group Iran Human Rights said Rahnavard's sentencing was based on "coerced confessions, after a grossly unfair process and a sham trial."
Shekari was executed publicly on December 8 after an appeal of his sentence was rejected by the Supreme Court. He was accused of injuring a security officer.
Farhad and Farzad Tahazadeh, two brothers from the northwestern city of Oshnavieh, are among several protesters who rights groups say are in imminent danger of execution.
Reports also indicate that soccer player Amir Nasr-Azadani faces accusations of "waging war against God" and "corruption on Earth," which are punishable by death and often leveled in cases allegedly involving espionage or attempts to overthrow the government.
Since Amini's death, Iranians have flooded streets across the country in protest, with women and even schoolgirls making unprecedented shows of support in the biggest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution.
The Oslo-based Iran Human Rights Organization says the number of executions in Iran exceeds 500 this year.
Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
RFE/RL Files Suit In Bishkek Court Appealing Blockage Of Its Websites
RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, known locally as Radio Azattyk, says it has filed an administrative suit appealing the blocking of its websites in the Central Asian country.
The court has yet to confirm that the suit, filed on December 15, has been officially registered for consideration.
The Kyrgyz government blocked Radio Azattyk's websites in Kyrgyz and Russian on October 26 after the broadcaster refused to take down a video about clashes along a disputed segment of the Kyrgyz-Tajik border.
Officials claimed the video, produced by Current Time, a Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with Voice of America, "predominantly" took the position of the Tajik side.
The government decision was based on the Law on Protection from False Information, legislation that drew widespread criticism when it was adopted in August 2021. Analysts said it would stifle free speech and independent reporting by the media.
Radio Azattyk's bank account in Bishkek was frozen at the time, and in November, Kyrgyz authorities suspended the accreditations of 11 RFE/RL correspondents at parliament.
"RFE/RL is continuing to exercise all legal remedies available under Kyrgyz law," RFE/RL President and Chief Executive Officer Jamie Fly said in a statement on December 15.
"As over 100 prominent Kyrgyz figures recently attested, Azattyk has a rich 70-year history and should continue its operations free from government pressure and harassment," he added.
RFE/RL's move comes two days after almost 120 Kyrgyz public figures, writers, actors, politicians, and activists urged President Sadyr Japarov and other top officials to unblock Radio Azattyk's websites.
"It is impossible to overestimate the significant contribution Radio Azattyk has made during its 70-year history to the formation of the sovereign, independent Kyrgyzstan, to the achievement of the liberty Kyrgyz people dreamed about and for which our ancestors fought during the Soviet period," the letter said, urging the country's leaders to immediately and fully restore Radio Azattyk's operations.
Earlier this week, RFE/RL's lawyers filed a complaint in a district court in Bishkek challenging the suspension of Radio Azattyk's bank account.
In solidarity with RFE/RL, independent Kyrgyz media outlets on October 28 posted a black screen on their webpages from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. local time with the caption: "No news today. Media under pressure in Kyrgyzstan," and also refused to cover news stories about the government for the whole day.
Earlier in October, threats were made against RFE/RL journalists during a demonstration in Bishkek at the office of the Kyrgyz Service. Most of the participants of the action covered their faces, avoided the camera, and refused to answer questions about their demands.
Ilimbek Israilov, the organizer of the demonstration, threatened to spray gasoline on RFE/RL reporters and use force against them. Israilov is known for organizing of numerous rallies to support the former deputy chief of the Customs Service, Raimbek Matraimov.
In 2019, an investigation by RFE/RL, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, and Kloop implicated former deputy chief of the Customs Service Raimbek Matraimov in a corruption scheme involving the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars out of Kyrgyzstan.
Plunder And Patronage In The Heart Of Central Asia
By RFE/RL, OCCRP, and Kloop
November 21, 2019 (updated June 29, 2020)
Over the span of five years, one man funneled hundreds of millions of dollars out of Central Asia. What he knew may have cost him his life. But before his murder, he shared with reporters a trove of documents that reveal the source of this colossal wealth: A secretive family that ran an underground cargo empire with the help of a powerful political patron.
“I’m Aierken Saimaiti,” the man said. “Between 2011 and 2016, I transferred more than $700 million from Kyrgyzstan.”
Just a few months after this conversation with a journalist, Saimaiti was murdered.
But before his death, he gave reporters documents that revealed the massive and systemic plunder of public funds from one of the poorest countries on Earth.
A joint team from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, OCCRP, and its Kyrgyz member center, Kloop, spent months poring over Saimaiti's documents, following his leads, and reporting on the ground to corroborate as much as possible. Together, this evidence tells the story of how a vast underground cargo empire run by the Abdukadyrs, a secretive Uyghur clan, systematically funneled massive bribes to Kyrgyzstan’s customs service. It also implicates Raimbek Matraimov, a former top customs official widely seen as so powerful that he is essentially untouchable.
Along the way, Kyrgyz journalists involved in the project received credible threats to their safety and found themselves under surveillance. This made publication a matter of not only public interest, but physical safety. Saimaiti’s murder increased this urgency. Reporters spent the 11 days after his death working around the clock to piece together, verify, and publish the story he had been trying to tell.
Saimaiti knew so much because he had been a crucial player in the functioning of the patronage and money laundering system he revealed. But he was determined to expose that system. This investigative project will stand as his final word, showing in unprecedented detail how a small clique enriched itself at the expense of the Kyrgyz people.
Project Credits
“Plunder And Patronage In The Heart Of Central Asia” is a joint effort by Radio Azattyk, the Kyrgyz Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; OCCRP; and OCCRP's Kyrgyz member center, Kloop. Over two dozen journalists from these organizations worked for months to make the investigation possible. Due to multiple threats received by reporters and editors over this period, their names are not disclosed.
"Watchdog" is a blog with a singular mission -- to monitor the latest developments concerning human rights, civil society, and press freedom. We'll pay particular attention to reports concerning countries in RFE/RL's broadcast region.
RFE/RL journalists take risks, face threats, and make sacrifices every day in an effort to gather the news. Our "Journalists In Trouble" page recognizes their courage and conviction, and documents the high price that many have paid simply for doing their jobs. More
