God save you from the execution
The executions in Iran are never ending. We can also see a pattern that if EU officials travel to the
country, the authorities threaten to execute even more people, especially juvenile offenders. A recent
example is Salar Shadizadi, whose scheduled hanging coincided with the visit of Laurent
Fabius (the Foreign Minister of France) and Federica Mogherini’s (the High Representative of the
European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) visit in Iran. Thank God, Salar’s execution
was postponed for the second time as well, but, unfortunately, no one knows for how long.
As per Amnesty International, the Iranian authorities are believed to have executed an astonishing694 people between 1 January and 15 July 2015. This number is really terrible. Especially, if we think about how many of them could be juvenile offenders or innocent people forced to confess against themselves under duress. They have not even stopped the hangings for Ramadan this year, as they usually do.
Just as we realised that Salar is alive, the regime sentenced another prisoner of conscience to death.
This time, the founder of the “Erfan-e Halgheh” spiritual arts and healing group is waiting for the
authorities’ mercy. Mohammad Ali Taheri is facing the charge of “corruption on Earth” for establishing
the Erfan-e Halgheh institute in Tehran, using healing concepts and treating patients with
psychological and medical conditions.
The regime in Iran doesn’t recognise Taheri’s group, Erfan-e Halgheh as a religion, but in addition to imprisoning and sentencing Taheri to death, his institute has been closed down.
Individuals and groups who promote alternative spiritual beliefs in Iran are harshly persecuted, as the authorities see them as national security threats. This is even more the case if these religions attract Shia Muslims. The constitution recognises Zoroastrian, Jewish, and Christian Iranians as religious minorities.
As per Amnesty International, the Iranian authorities are believed to have executed an astonishing694 people between 1 January and 15 July 2015. This number is really terrible. Especially, if we think about how many of them could be juvenile offenders or innocent people forced to confess against themselves under duress. They have not even stopped the hangings for Ramadan this year, as they usually do.
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| (Source: www.iranhumanrights.org) |
The regime in Iran doesn’t recognise Taheri’s group, Erfan-e Halgheh as a religion, but in addition to imprisoning and sentencing Taheri to death, his institute has been closed down.
Individuals and groups who promote alternative spiritual beliefs in Iran are harshly persecuted, as the authorities see them as national security threats. This is even more the case if these religions attract Shia Muslims. The constitution recognises Zoroastrian, Jewish, and Christian Iranians as religious minorities.