In a single incident, 150 prisoners will soon face gallows in the southern city of Dasthistan, the state-run dailies Iran and Aselooeh reported on August 27 and 28, respectively.
The Iranian regime has stepped up executions in recent weeks. Minors are at the forefront of clerical regime's clampdown on popular upheavals. Behnam Zare and Reza Hejazi were the two most recent executions of juveniles.
Behnam Zare, the young man hanged by the regime on August 27, was born in 1989 and had stressed that his actions were irresponsible and had led to an accident. His recorded words in prison before his execution took place confirm this. In the recordings, he had said, “My name is Behnam Zare, and I have been incarcerated at the Adel Abad prison in the city of Shiraz for the past three years. I committed murder at the age of 15, and I now regret what I did. I ask all of you, advocates of human rights and free individuals, to save my life. What happened was an accident. I’m pleading that you save my life. I want to live and be free. Right now, I’m spending the last days of my life. I may be taken to the gallows any minute now. Will God approve of the death of a 15 year old? I ask all those who hear my voice, is there anyone who can help me? I want you to communicate my message to the authorities. I call on you to save my life because I want to live.”
Zare’s lawyer and family were not informed of the timing and location of his execution, which is a violation of international laws.
The two hangings in the past week bring the total number of executed minors in Iran this year to six. A human rights organization in Iran has reported that 132 more minors are currently awaiting execution.