Call
Nationwide protest against execution of political prisoners in Iran
All news and reports indicate that the Islamic Republic regime wants to execute the death sentences of two political prisoners: Shirko Maarefi and Mustafa Salimi.
Mustafa Salimi, a Kurdish political prisoner from the village of “Ailo” in the Saqqez city, has been in prison for more than 7 years. He was sentenced to death by the regime’s unjust verdict and is on the verge of being executed.
Shirko Maarefi, a Kurdish political prisoner, thirty years old, from the city of Baneh, is on the verge of execution by the regime’s arbitrary verdict. On the eve of Nowruz, the regime’s murderous judicial apparatus informed Shirko’s family and lawyer that he would be executed on May 11, coinciding with May Day, International Workers’ Day. A few days later, news was published quoting one of Shirko’s relatives that the regime’s judicial apparatus had announced that the execution of Shirko’s death sentence had been postponed.
By sending contradictory signals to society about the execution of political prisoners, the regime is engaging in a dual tactic of psychological deterrence and protest. By broadcasting news of the execution, it wants to scare people and discourage them from fighting against the regime, and by spreading rumors that the execution will be suspended, it wants to prevent protests against the execution. By implementing such a cunning and criminal tactic in recent years, it has secretly sent several political prisoners to death squads. There is concern that it will also secretly execute the death sentences of Shirko and Mustafa.
The Islamic Republic regime has gone through many social crises by resorting to repression and killing. Sending double signals to society, which has intensified following the popular uprising in 2009, shows the depth of the crisis that has left the regime gasping for breath and floundering in its filth and crimes.
The regime has taken dozens of political prisoners sentenced to death hostage. Whenever it feels the need, it executes them. If we say that this regime is a dictatorship, capitalist, religious, reactionary, and backward, and that it commits any crime to survive, we will not be wrong. But if we do not raise our voice of protest against it, with all its factions and crimes, and make it more scandalous than it already is, we will have left the lives of defenseless Shirkos and Musafis in the dirty hands of these criminals.
In defense of the lives of Shirko Maarefi and Mostafa Salimi and all political prisoners sentenced to death, in protest against the existence of the entire regime of the Islamic Republic, in line with other leftist and progressive forces, we declare Friday, April 22, a nationwide campaign day to protest torture and the death penalty and the execution of political prisoners in Iran, and we invite freedom-loving Iranians in exile to participate in the protests that will be held on Friday, April 22 in the cities and countries where they live.
Iranian Political Prisoners’ Association (in exile) – Stockholm Branch
April 21st is the same as April 10th, 2011.