11 July 2024
The Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran (CFPPI) calls upon all governments, the European Union (EU), and the United Nations (UN) to take concrete steps to pressure the Islamic regime in Iran to release political prisoners and halt executions.
Following the recent sham election in Iran, the Islamic regime announced Masoud Pezeshkian as the new president in July 2024. Despite being labelled as a ‘reformist’ and ‘moderate’ by Western media, Pezeshkian is deeply entrenched in the current regime. Since 1979, he has held various governmental positions and has been a staunch supporter of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an organization responsible for 45 years of atrocities in Iran and the suppression of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. Pezeshkian advocates for compulsory hijab laws, which empower the IRGC to attack, arrest, torture, and even murder women, such as Mahsa Jina Amini, a 22-year-old woman killed by morality police in 2022 over hijab regulations. Pezeshkian openly discussed his role in the ‘cleansing’ of universities and hospitals in 1979, which involved shutting down universities, suppressing opposition, and enforcing hijab rules. In 2010, as a member of the regime’s parliament, he voted for a law (Amr-e be marouf va nahy az monkar) that authorized morality police to arrest women who did not comply with the hijab law. Pezeshkian has always remained a loyal supporter of the regime and its leader, Khamenei.
During the recent ‘election’ campaign, the regime’s forces were threatening journalists and arresting individuals who criticized the election on social media. Despite this, the people of Iran, including political prisoners, clearly voiced their opposition by boycotting the vote. They highlighted the candidates’ involvement in the dictatorship and suppression.
Labelling Pezeshkian as a ‘moderate’ or ‘reformist’ only serves to aid the regime’s efforts to divert international attention from the ongoing crackdown in Iran. People in Iran are routinely arrested, tortured, and given execution sentences for expressing their views, and rights activists face daily threats and arrests by IRGC forces, which Pezeshkian staunchly supports. Currently, at least one hundred political prisoners are at risk of execution. Among them is labour rights activist and human rights defender Sharifeh Mohammadi, who has been sentenced to death. Swedish-Iranian citizen Ahmadreza Djalali, imprisoned since 2016, is also in immediate danger of execution.
The CFPPI urges individuals, organizations, and members of parliament to continue their support for the Iranian people’s fight against the brutal regime. We call for increased pressure on the Iranian government to release all political prisoners and to stop executions.
Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran(CFPPI)
For media inquiries, please contact:
Shiva Mahbobi, Spokeswoman
Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran (CFPPI)
shiva.mahbobi@gmail.com
Tel: +447572356661