Yet another unfair execution takes place in Iran

topic:	Women's rights
located:	Iran
editor:	Gloria Rosary

In a startling turn of events, Mohammad Ghobadlou became the ninth man to face execution in connection to the widespread "woman, life, freedom" uprising that swept the entire country following the tragic death of Mahsa Amini.

Ghobadlou, a 23-year-old protester, was arrested on 22 September 2022. He received dual death sentences, one for corruption on earth and another for the alleged killing of a local officer. Human rights activists denounced his execution as an extrajudicial murder given that the death sentence for him had been essentially overturned in February 2023, when the Supreme Court granted a stay of execution and later referred his case to a new jurisdiction to deal with issues relating to his mental health.

Despite being under the supervision of a psychiatric hospital for bipolar disorder since the age of 15, Ghobadlou was deprived of his bipolar medication during the investigation phase and until after his first trial session on 29 October 2022. Adding to the injustice, he was denied access to a lawyer throughout the month-long investigation. Amnesty International reports further suggest that he was coerced into confessing that he deliberately ran over several officials, highlighting the troubling disregard for both his mental health needs and fundamental legal rights during the judicial process.

Ghobadlou's lawyer received the notice of execution less than 12 hours before it was carried out on 23 January at dawn. The heart-wrenching footage of Ghobadlou's parents, confined behind the prison walls, standing in the rain at dawn and desperately pleading for a delay in their son's execution, added a poignant layer to this tragic narrative. Right after sunrise, the Islamic Republic Judiciary outlet Mizan News announced Ghobdalou's execution.

On Thursday, 25 January, dozens of Iranian women held as political prisoners initiated a hunger strike in protest against the execution. Since the announcement, many prominent Iranian artists and activists have joined the symbolic collective hunger strike worldwide.

The broader context is deeply alarming, with a staggering 864 overall death sentences and executions recorded in Iran in 2023, marking a record high in the past eight years. The gravity of the situation persists into 2024, with 51 people having been executed in the first weeks of 2024 alone, underscoring the urgent need for intervention to address the systemic issues within the Iranian justice system. Many perceive these executions as a deliberate strategy by the regime to instil fear among protesters. Presently, at least 20 protesters are at risk of facing the death penalty, with four of them currently under the sentence of death.

Given the seriousness of these concerns, the global community must continue to shed light on individual cases like Ghobadlou's, highlighting the urgency of safeguarding human rights and promoting the rule of law in Iran. Collective action is imperative to prevent further tragedies and to advocate for a more just and humane legal system in Iran.

Image by Omid Armin.

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