The Foundation for Democracy in Iran condemns the public execution of five young men in downtown Tabriz on May 15 by the Islamic Republic authorities. According to reports from Tabriz, the authorities hung the men from construction cranes, which were repositioned to make them visible from all over the city. The men were aged between 21 and 23 years old.
The public executions were apparently intended as a "warning" to residents of the city, who had staged demonstrations over the past week to protest the regime's handling of the recent Majlis elections. (See the FDI Newswire No.5, dated May 20 for details). In the only official statement on the executions, the judicial authorities of East Azerbaijan province declared that the five men had been condemned to death on charges of drug smuggling. Given the reports the Foundation has received from sources inside Tabriz, and from opposition groups in Tehran, this allegation on the part of the authorities appears unfounded.
Eyewitnesses in Tabriz have informed FDI that the authorities also rounded up 100 persons from their homes over the past week, because of their involvement in the street demonstrations. If confirmed, they would be prisoners of conscience.
The Foundation is concerned with the rapidly deteriorating security situation inside Iran, and calls on the government of the Islamic Republic to respect the guarantees contained in the IRI constitution as to the right of prisoners to a legal defense and to a public trial. The Foundation renews its call to the IRI authorities to engage in a full, direct, open, and democratic dialogue with the opposition, without preconditions, and to cease the harassment and murder of political opponents inside Iran and abroad.
The Foundation for Democracy in Iran is a private, non-profit
corporation registered in the State of Maryland. Contact:
Kenneth R. Timmerman, Executive Director (exec@iran.org).
FDI materials, including the FDI Newswire, are available
free-of-charge via the Internet at http://www.iran.org/.