Iran secretly executing hundreds of prisoners: United Nations

[oberliner]

Source: AFP via Times of India

UNITED NATIONS: Iran's authoritarian regime has been secretly executing hundreds of prisoners, according to a new UN report detailing growing rights abuses in the Islamic republic.

The mysterious executions at Vakilabad prison in Mashhad in eastern Iran were highlighted in a report compiled by Ahmed Shaheed, the new UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran.

Shaheed, who assumed responsibility for the mandate on August 1, billed this as an interim report cataloging the most recent trends in the human rights situation in Iran.

The report details a raft of abuses from freedom of expression to the denial of women's rights to the torture of detainees, but perhaps the most shocking data was on the skyrocketing rate of executions.

Read more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Iran-secretly-executing-hundreds-of-prisoners-United-Nations/articleshow/10396140.cms

[Ian David]

1. Is this a "slam dunk?" n/t

[Autumn]

2. Sounds like a "slam dunk" to me

I'm sure we will hear more.

[oberliner]

3. Here's a link to the UN report

http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A%2F66%2F374&Submit=Search&Lang=E

[Ian David]

4. Well, since it's the U.N. and not The Joint Chiefs, I give it much more weight. n/t

[oberliner]

9. I would urge you to read it

Some pretty ugly stuff.

[wordpix]

11. so would I---Iran targets artists, environmentalists, lawyers, filmmakers---anyone who

dares to stand up to the "Supreme Leader" and oppressive government.

This is not a regime we should defend; OTOH, war is not the answer.

[DeSwiss]

12. Them war drums are 'a-beatin, ain't they??? :-/ n/t

[oberliner]

17. The UN is encouraging war with Iran?

I rather doubt that.

[DeSwiss]

27. Indeed.

What was I thinking? The United Nations, biased?

- Pshaw! Perish the thought.....









''In Lak'ech Ala K'in''

[libodem]

5. Pipeline

Must be ready to cross Iran. Gotta be some oil company deal.

[Firebrand Gary]

6. Let me guess, all of the executed wore green?

I watched a film recently called a "A Jihad for Love" and it was a sobering reminder of the atrocities carried out by Iran. I wonder where this is going to end up?

[Maine-i-acs]

7. Applause breaks out -

when Rick Perry does it.

[oberliner]

8. Not even close

Did you read the article?

"Vakilabad officials, in violation of Iranian law, allegedly carried out the executions without the knowledge or presence of the inmates' lawyers or families and without prior notification to those executed," it said.

"It has also been reported that at least 146 secret executions have taken place to date in 2011."

Shaheed also noted that four percent of executions stipulated no charges, that 100 juveniles were on death row, and that more than 100 executions this year alone for drug-related offenses.

Human Rights Watch counted 388 executions in Iran in 2010, while Amnesty International put the figure at 252, ranking the Islamic republic second only to China in the number of people put to death last year.

Edit to add: Did you know that adultery is punishable by death in Iran?

[wordpix]

10. my Iranian friend who left Iran decades ago thought it was unbearable then

Looks like it's getting worse.

[Muskypundit]

13. I dont see a happy ending to Irans authoritarianism

Regimes like that dont tend to go down quietly, like we saw during their last elections. The best case scenario is that Irans up and coming generation can effect change; but even then thousands of them will die for it.

Worst case is that war breaks out between them and either Israel, Saudi Arabia, and or the U.S.

[quakerboy]

14. If anything is to change

Russia and China need to lead the charge to change it.

[wordpix]

19. Russia and China change it? hahahahha, those beacons of freedom & justice!

I don't think so

[quakerboy]

25. Who is supporting Iran?

Its not the US (with the exception of the koch bro's). We are about tapped out for resources to do this sort of thing. And i notice we seem to be getting a lot of "Iran" news lately, which sure sounds like a drumbeat to my untrained ears. I say no. The most involved parties need to deal with this.

[BadtotheboneBob]

15. Meet the New Boss...

... Same as the Old Boss. Shah/SAVAK = Ayatollah/Quds Force

[Little Tich]

16. Iranian Government Ignores Calls to Cooperate With the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran

Source: www.iranhumanrights.org

Questions to Ask Ahmadinejad

(14 September 2011) Member states of the United Nations as well as the international media should focus on the ongoing human rights crisis in Iran as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrives in New York to attend the 66th session of the UN General Assembly, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today.

The Campaign specifically called on Ban Ki-Moon, the U.N. General Secretary, and all diplomatic representatives of member states who will meet Ahmadinejad during his visit, to express serious concerns about the grave human rights situation in Iran and to demand an immediate end to widespread violations of Iran’s international obligations and harsh repression of its citizens’ rights. In particular, the Campaign urged all international actors to call on Ahmadinejad to cooperate with the recently-appointed Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran and immediately release Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, two leading opposition leaders who have been under de facto house arrest without any judicial process for the past seven months.

“Ahmadinejad comes to town as an unprecedented human rights crisis grips the country. This is an important opportunity for diplomats, journalists and ordinary citizens to challenge him on Iran’s record of abuse and express their disapproval in the strongest possible terms,” said Hadi Ghaemi, the Campaign’s spokesperson.

Read More: http://www.iranhumanrights.org/2011/09/ahmadinejad-accountable-for-human-rights-crisis/

[Warren Stupidity]

18. They need to execute hundreds openly, the way we do.

That would bring them back into the fold.

I hear this drumming in the background. What could it be?

[oberliner]

20. They do that too

The report, obtained by AFP after first appearing on the Foreign Policy website, said 200 officially announced executions had taken place in 2011 with at least 83, including those of three political prisoners, in January alone.

"Furthermore, authorities reportedly conducted more than 300 secret executions at Vakilabad prison in 2010," the report said.

These secret executions are in addition to the many open ones.

From the article:

Human Rights Watch counted 388 executions in Iran in 2010, while Amnesty International put the figure at 252, ranking the Islamic republic second only to China in the number of people put to death last year.

[leftynyc]

22. I'm not a death penalty supporter

Not because I don't think there are some who don't deserve to breath, it's just not given in a fair and judicious manner in this country which anyone who looks at the income level of those executed can see.

That said, the US is executing people convicted in a court of law with an appeals process available (for the record, I think Troy David was likely innocent and am totally convinced Todd Willingham (sp?) was innocent). Iran is executing artists, gays. This report is coming from the UN - not from our State Department. While I'm not a fan of the UN, the vast majority of those on this board are.

[ZombieHorde]

21. Sounds really bad, but I still don't want to go to war with Iran. nt

[tk2kewl]

23. So we can bomb the prisoners and ther captors to hell

that ought to make things right :freak:

[oberliner]

26. What if anything should actually be done about this?

Any ideas?

[tk2kewl]

31. not sure

but i think nothing more the condemnation

i dont think rick perry wants texas bombed because he is executing prisoners

[PassingFair]

24. This is sounding like a drumbeat to me. nt

[bengalherder]

28. If y'all had been reading the postings on the anonymous boards

that have been dedicated to the topic of Iran for the last few years, you would have heard this. It's a slow, but constant awareness, like the cognizance upon listening to a leaky faucet. One or a few every day or so gone. Sometimes sentenced to death directly, but more frequently basically flogged to death.

Anyone who is truly interested should go to the Iran forum at www.whyweprotest.net:

http://forums.whyweprotest.net/categories/iran.305/

There is a lot of info there and it is relatively free of the 'light-hearted' banter to which anon tends.

On edit: I'm not for war. I think more international focus has to be put on this issue. The sub-forum mentioned above has few users currently, but the information and often details have been there for awhile, and this UN report is certainly bearing out this information.

[oberliner]

29. This is a great post

Just because one opposes war with Iran doesn't mean one shouldn't want to know what is going on there and think about what ought to be done about it, if anything.

[tawadi]

30. The US has known about this

The real question is why we are turning our attention to it only now.

[oberliner]

32. This is a UN report

I don't think the US is turning any particular attention to it now.

[tawadi]

33. Are you kidding me?

Iran, Iran, Iran. Same kind of crap in the news before we invaded Iraq.

[oberliner]

34. I actually haven't seen this covered particularly widely in the US press

Certainly not in comparison to the "assassination plot" story.

[classysassy]

35. Human rights violations

Who are some of the other countries that violate human rights that are never mentioned?

[oberliner]

36. I think the UN has reports on pretty much all of them

Maybe not all but a pretty good cross-section.

Which country were you thinking the UN hasn't addressed?