According to the Balochistan Human Rights Group, 85 Baloch prisoners are facing imminent execution in Zahedan Central Prison, Iran. Reports indicate that these individuals have been sentenced to death following unfair trials, with many denied access to legal representation and subjected to serious due process violations.
In response to this urgent threat, 15 human rights organizations, including the Balochistan Human Rights Group, have issued a joint statement calling on the international community, particularly the United Nations Special Procedures and other human rights bodies, to take immediate and coordinated action to stop this potential mass execution.
Key Concerns Raised in the Statement:
– The Islamic Republic of Iran continues to use the death penalty widely and discriminatorily, particularly targeting ethnic and religious minorities such as the Baloch community.
– Credible reports from both local and international sources indicate that many of these 85 prisoners were convicted through flawed judicial processes lacking fairness and transparency.
– Carrying out these executions would constitute a grave and irreversible violation of the right to life, and a breach of Iran’s obligations under international law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Calls to Action:
The signatory organizations urge the following UN mechanisms to intervene:
– The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran
– The UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions
– The UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues
– The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran
Specifically, they call for:
1. Immediate intervention with Iranian authorities to halt the executions
2. Transparency regarding the legal status and current conditions of the 85 detainees
3. A moratorium on the death penalty, particularly in cases marred by discrimination and unfair trials
Signatory Organizations:
1. Ahwaz Human Rights Organization
2. All Human Rights for All in Iran
3. Association for the Human Rights of Azerbaijani People in Iran (AHRAZ)
4. Baloch Activists Campaign
5. Balochistan Human Rights Group
6. Defenders of Human Rights Center
7. ECPM – Together Against the Death Penalty
8. Hengaw Organization for Human Rights
9. Iran Human Rights
10. Iran Human Rights Documentation Center
11. Kurdistan Human Rights Network
12. Kurdistan Human Rights Association – Geneva
13. Kurdpa
14. Shivar News
15. Siamak Pourzand Foundation
16. United for Iran
Conclusion:
The looming mass execution of 85 Baloch prisoners is a human rights catastrophe in the making. The international community must act swiftly and decisively to stop it. Silence in the face of such injustice would amount to complicity.
