Ghezelhesar Prisoners Protest 'Arbitrary Executions'

Prisoners in Iran's Ghezelhesar prison staged a protest on Tuesday against what they call "arbitrary execution" and violence by prison officers.

A video recorded by the prisoners themselves shows a gathering in Ward 1, where they speak out against the officers' behavior.

"People are being taken from their cells and killed," one prisoner says in the video.

A source close to the prisoners elaborated, stating that officers frequently raid cells, searching belongings and destroying them with batons.

This incident follows a February letter from Ghezelhesar's political prisoners to the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The letter urged the UN to visit the prison and speak directly with witnesses before issuing any reports on Iranian executions.

They argued that such visits are essential for a "valid" assessment of human rights violations within the prison.

The Islamic Republic alone carried out 74 per cent of all documented executions worldwide in 2023, according to Amnesty International.

With 853 executions, a 48 per cent increase from the previous year, Iran is second only to China as the world's leading executioner.

"In Iran, the authorities intensified their use of the death penalty to instil fear in the population and tighten their grip on power, carrying out executions across the country," Amnesty said in a report on Wednesday.

This significant increase in Iran is the primary driver behind the global rise in executions, which reached 1,153 in 2023 – the highest number since 2015.

Executions for drug-related offences surged and constituted 56% of recorded executions in 2023, an increase of 89 per cent from 255 executions recorded in 2022.