Women Rights Set To Hit New Low In Iran

By Manu Shrivastava

The election of Masoud Pezeshkian as Iran's new president in July 2024 has significantly darkened the landscape for women’s rights in the nation, signaling a chilling escalation in the regime's oppressive tactics.

Pezeshkian’s rise to power has not merely intensified the already hostile environment; it has unleashed a torrent of state-sanctioned violence aimed at quelling any form of dissent, particularly the resilient embers of resistance ignited by the Woman, Life, Freedom protests.

The case of Narges Mohammadi starkly illustrates the regime's ruthless approach

This period of increased repression is starkly illustrated by a surge in executions that have taken on the character of a brutal purge. In just the span of July, at least 87 individuals were executed, a grim figure that speaks volumes about the regime's intent to instill fear. Each execution is not only an act of state violence but a calculated message to those who might dare to challenge the regime: opposition will be met with the harshest, most irreversible consequence.

The case of Reza Rasaei, a young protester who was executed for his participation in demonstrations calling for basic human rights, is emblematic of the regime's brutal resolve. Rasaei’s death, far from being an isolated incident, is part of a broader strategy to preemptively silence voices of dissent as the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death looms. 

Amini's death, a catalyst for the massive Woman, Life, Freedom protests, continues to resonate deeply within Iran, representing the struggle for women’s rights and human dignity. The regime, now under Pezeshkian, appears determined to crush this symbolic resistance, even as it fuels further outrage.

Reza Rasaei’s death, far from being an isolated incident

Evin prison, long a notorious site of state repression, has become an even darker symbol under the new administration. Currently housing about 70 women political prisoners, Evin's walls are now the last witness to the final days of women like Pakhshan Azizi and Sharifeh Mohammadi. Both women, sentenced to death on the vaguely defined charge of "armed rebellion against the state," stand as tragic figures in a larger narrative of state brutality. 

These charges, often based on spurious evidence or coerced confessions, are tools of the regime’s wider strategy to eliminate those it deems inconvenient. The looming sentences of other activists, such as Varisheh Moradi and Nasim Gholami Simiyari, add to the atmosphere of fear and uncertainty.

Human rights organizations, particularly the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), have condemned these executions as judicial murders, carried out with the veneer of legal legitimacy. Hadi Ghaemi, the executive director of CHRI, has been vocal in his denunciation of the regime's tactics, noting that the spate of executions is a desperate attempt to quash a women’s movement that refuses to be silenced. 

The case of Narges Mohammadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and a prominent human rights activist, starkly illustrates the regime's ruthless approach. Mohammadi, imprisoned in Evin, was reportedly beaten unconscious by prison guards after she protested against Rasaei's execution—a brutal act that underscores the regime’s willingness to use violence to maintain control.

The international community, while expressing outrage at these violations of human rights, has so far been unable to halt the regime's relentless repression. UN human rights experts have condemned the denial of medical care to those injured during crackdowns, but their words have done little to sway the regime. 

The July sentencing of Azizi and Mohammadi on baseless charges continues a pattern of oppression that has become all too familiar. Azizi’s harrowing account from within Evin prison, where she has endured torture, mock executions, and solitary confinement, reveals the depth of the regime's cruelty. These acts of psychological and physical abuse are not just punishments; they are calculated efforts to break the will of those who resist.

The broader implications of this wave of repression are deeply concerning. Zeinab Bayazidi, a former political prisoner and a close friend of Azizi, has articulated the regime’s broader strategy: to fracture the unity forged by the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. This movement, which brought together diverse ethnic groups like Kurds, Balochs, and Tehranis in a shared struggle for rights and dignity, represents a significant threat to the regime’s control. The targeting of ethnic minority women for execution is a particularly heinous aspect of the regime's strategy, aimed at weakening the bonds of solidarity that have formed across Iran.

Beyond the executions, the regime has embarked on a wider campaign of intimidation. Long-term prison sentences are being handed down based on fabricated charges, often following forced confessions obtained through torture. This broader strategy of repression, aimed particularly at women who have led the fight for freedom and justice, sends a clear message: any challenge to the status quo will be met with the severest of consequences. 

The Pezeshkian administration's actions are not just a continuation of past repression but a stark escalation, intended to obliterate any hope of resistance in Iran’s ongoing struggle for human rights.