UN special rapporteur slams Iran's record high executions in August

The case, occurring at a detention center in northern Gilan province, starkly illustrates that extrajudicial killings are not isolated incidents but integral to the state’s broader system of repression and oppression.

For some time now, human rights activists have identified several of Iran's detention centers as particularly deadly for prisoners, including Shapour Intelligence Detention Center in Tehran and others in Shiraz, Yasuj, Bushehr, Bandar Abbas, and Zahedan. Among these, Shapour Detention Center in southern Tehran stands out as one of the most notorious, often referred to as the "dungeon for prisoners."

In these detention centers, suspects are treated as guilty from the outset, with interrogators using various forms of torture to extract confessions. Detainees are often handcuffed, shackled, and kept in unsanitary conditions throughout their detention and interrogation.

Upon arrival at these centers, suspects are immediately presumed guilty, and interrogators employ various torture methods to extract confessions. The moment a detainee enters the interrogation rooms, they are often told that the only way out is to confess to the charges already prepared for them. The interrogators, who often conceal their identities, use a range of torture methods, from sleep deprivation and beatings to more extreme physical abuse, such as whipping with cables, baton strikes, and even "roasting," where detainees are tied and suspended from a rod, enduring severe pain until they confess.

The sanitary conditions are deplorable, and detainees are often kept in handcuffs and shackles for the duration of their detention and interrogation. If a detainee denies the charges, they are immediately subjected to beatings by multiple officers, escalating to more brutal forms of torture if they continue to resist.

If they refuse to confess, they are subjected to further torture, including prolonged sleep deprivation, beatings with cables and batons, and other cruel methods. Extreme methods such as suspending detainees by their hands or feet, breaking bones, and burning with cigarettes are routinely employed. As their physical condition deteriorates, many are coerced into giving false confessions or accepting fabricated charges.

Some detainees, after being forced to make false confessions under torture, retract their statements in court, only to face threats of further torture from their interrogators. These confessions often lead to long prison sentences or even execution.

In recent years, some detainees who have been coerced into confessing under torture have recanted their statements in court, emphasizing the brutality they endured during interrogation. However, many others, fearing further torture or retribution, reluctantly confirm their confessions in court, which often leads to severe sentences, including imprisonment or execution. Some suffer lifelong physical and psychological scars from their ordeal, bearing the pain and trauma of their torture for the rest of their lives.

Security agencies such as the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC Intelligence Organization sometimes transfer political and ideological prisoners who resist confessing under torture in security wards to the detention centers of the Intelligence Department. They believe that detainees sent to these detention centers will eventually, under the pressure of torture, accept all or part of the fabricated scenarios prepared for them and confess to crimes they did not commit.

Despite the ongoing use of torture, which violates Article 38 of the Islamic Republic's Constitution which bans torture for extracting confessions or obtaining information, authorities continue their practices unchecked. Iran has consistently refused to join the United Nations Convention Against Torture, citing this constitutional provision.

A pattern of impunity

Mir-Mousavi’s death has sparked widespread outrage in Iran, with many on social media also sharing the stories of other detainees who have suffered similar fates under the regime’s security apparatus.

Lawyer Ali Mojtahedzadeh condemned the death, calling it "a crime." He stressed that "those who ordered and carried out this atrocity, regardless of their position, are criminals deserving of punishment."

Mohammad Habibi, a teachers' union activist, highlighted that many young individuals like Mir-Mousavi face torture within police and security institutions, with their suffering frequently remaining unacknowledged. Habibi shared his own experiences from the Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary, where he observed numerous inmates with broken limbs and bruised bodies returning from the Shapour Detention Center’s Intelligence section and other police facilities.

Atefeh Nabavi, previously a political prisoner, shared a story of a female inmate accused of murder, noting how she had been beaten so severely that her speech had become impaired, oscillating between confusion and consciousness. Despite the lack of evidence against her, she was tortured into confessing.

A former commander of the notorious Islamic Revolutionary Guards also commented on the death of Mir-Mousavi. "Why do such incidents keep happening from time to time?" Hossein Alaei said at a police station in Lahijan. The Navy commander stressed the importance of proper training for police officers in their interactions with the public.

In fact, it is not a matter of incidents occurring "from time to time" but rather a recurring pattern of abuse and torture that has persisted under the regime for years, with impunity.

Since the inception of the Islamic Republic, tens of thousands—likely many more—of political and ideological detainees, protesters, opponents of the mandatory hijab, journalists, and other societal members have endured torture in Iran’s detention centers, with many losing their lives as a result.

Families of these victims, seeking justice for their loved ones, often encounter futility in their efforts. Investigations rarely identify the perpetrators, and accountable officials frequently face no consequences.

For decades, Iranian authorities have persistently refused to acknowledge any responsibility for these deaths.

The strike, now in its second month, has spread to more than 50 cities, marking the largest professional protest by nurses in a century. Nurses and emergency medical technicians are protesting against long working shifts, low wages, and mandatory overtime.

Fereydoun Moradi, a member of the Supreme Council of the Nursing System, recently highlighted the issue of unpaid nursing service fees which have not been deposited into nurses' accounts for over a year.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi admitted that the government owes nurses more than 70 trillion rials (over $116 billion). Although he said that these dues would be paid promptly, no action has been taken, leaving nurses determined to continue their industrial action.

The situation is further exacerbated by the Iranian government's mismanagement of the National Development Fund (NDF) which was intended for long-term national investments. In a Saturday interview on state TV, President Masoud Pezeshkian announced that, with the approval of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, funds from the National Development Fund will be allocated to pay nurses, farmers, teachers, and for essential medicines.

The crisis has also led to a increase in the migration of nurses. Ahmad Nejatian, head of the Nursing Organization, reported that the average annual migration of nurses has doubled between 2021 and 2023. With approximately 20% of nursing students now seeking to leave the country, the trend is expected to worsen, particularly as countries like Germany and Denmark have made it easier for Iranian nurses to migrate.

The exodus, combined with low wages and harsh working conditions, has weakened Iran's healthcare system. The country currently has only 1.5 nurses per 1,000 people, compared to the global average of three. Many nurses report burnout and an inability to provide adequate care to patients, further straining an already fragile system.

Samira Rahi, a journalist based in Turkey who specialises in Iranian social issues, criticized the Iranian government's lack of resolve.

"When nurses demonstrated their dedication during the pandemic, the system took advantage of them. The Islamic Republic relies on temporary fixes to address the issue superficially, but as long as the underlying structural problems remain unresolved, all these measures will be ineffective," she told Iran International.

As the government continues to neglect the demands of its healthcare workers, the future of Iran's nursing profession—and the quality of care available to its citizens—remains uncertain.

Speaking to Fox News on the Gaza war, sparked by the Iran-backed group’s invasion of Israel on October 7 which killed over 1,100 mostly civilians, he said, “When President Trump imposed and enforced sanctions on Iran, their oil exports were $8bn a year.

“They are now $43bn [annually] and their support for Hamas has tripled because you can support a lot more mayhem and murder with an additional $35bn.”

The administration is “trying to have it both ways”, he said, as the elections draw closer and the Democrats voice calls for a ceasefire amid Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.

However, with 101 hostages still held in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until the hostages are returned and Hamas is dismantled.

Fallon said, "they [Biden-Harris] want Netanyahu to show restraint and then they want to coddle Hamas and condemn them at the same time which doesn’t make a lick of sense”, he said.

The post was first published Monday, showing Ambassador Ian McConville and his colleagues celebrating the Wear It Purple Day in Iran, where homosexuality is officially banned, and homosexuals face the threat of execution.

Reacting to the post, Iran’s foreign ministry announced Tuesday that it had summoned McConville to “condemn” the publication of a post that “was offensive and against Iranian and Islamic norms and customs.”

The Instagram post, which expressed support for all sexual and gender groups, has been harshly criticized by Iran’s state-run media and religious officials. “Decisive action has to be taken against [McConville] in accordance with legal and Islamic ordinances,” said Alireza Arafi, a top Shia cleric and head of Iran's Islamic Seminaries.

In Iran, homosexuality is punishable by death for men and by 100 lashes for women. On repeated offenses, women can be also executed under the laws of the Islamic Republic which are based on a hardline interpretation of Shia Islam.

The US State Department has expressed concern about reports that Iran's “security forces harassed, arrested, and detained individuals they suspected or perceived as being LGBTQI+."

It’s unlikely that the Australian embassy was unaware of Iran’s official position on homosexuality. The decision to publicize the celebration may therefore be seen as a message of encouragement for the Iranian LGBTQI+ community suffering under Islamic rule.

“Today, and every day, we’re dedicated to creating a supportive environment, where everyone, especially LGBTQIA+ youth, can feel proud to be themselves,” the original post read. “Let’s keep championing diversity and inclusion for a brighter, more inclusive future 🤝🏳️‍🌈.”

The sentiment was echoed by the German embassy in Tehran, which posted purple hearts in reply to the original post by the Australian embassy.

According to the brief published by Iran’s foreign ministry, the Australian ambassador was asked to take “appropriate measures to compensate” for the Instagram post. “Such actions by the embassy are inconsistent with international law and the Vienna Diplomatic Convention, which governs diplomatic conduct in respect to the host country's laws and regulations,” McConville was told.

Iran's laws allow individuals to change their gender identity markers on government-issued identification cards after gender-affirming surgery and by court permission. Many Islamic Republic apologists portray the country's "tolerance" of transgenders as an expression of liberalism.

However, the Islamic Republic seems to be exploiting the sex-reassignment surgery (SRS) as a means of purging gays and lesbians from public life, as evidenced in a 2019 report by Economist.

Based on the April assault on Israel in which around 350 missiles, rockets and drones were fired towards the Jewish state, the fact most were intercepted by Israel and a US-coalition, shows only “some ability to strike Israel”, said Sam Lair, from the center.

Speaking to the Associated Press, he said: “If I were supreme leader, I would probably be a little disappointed.”

Lair said that if Iranian missiles are not able to hit targets precisely “that recasts their role”. He added: “They’re no longer as valuable for conducting conventional military operations. They may be more valuable simply as terror weapons.”

The report comes as Iran’s shadow war with Israel has once again peaked in the wake of the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.

Though Israel has not claimed responsibility, it is believed to have been an Israeli missile strike from inside Iran’s borders.

Since the assassination, Iran has threatened to retaliate, but has waited several weeks in a bid to heighten the psychological war against its arch-enemy who is currently in the midst of a multi-front war with Iran’s proxies.

April’s assault was triggered by an alleged Israeli airstrike at the Iranian consulate in Damascus, killing a senior Quds Force commander and several other senior military personnel.

But its retaliation fell short of expectations, with claims from Iran of hitting the Nevatim Air Base falling flat. Instead of hitting the valuable fighter jets and military assets, the attack merely dented some holes in the runway, as seen by footage released by the Israeli military, showing that at least four missiles hit the base.

A team of experts from the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies examined the alleged strike on the base, 65 kilometers south of Jerusalem in the Negev Desert, and said the only debris found in the area, collected from the Dead Sea, suggests Iran used Emad missiles to target Nevatim, the analysts told AP.

The liquid-fueled Emad, or “pillar” in Farsi, is a variant of Iran’s Shahab-3 missile built from a North Korean design with a reported range of 2,000 kilometers. That indicates the Emads were likely fired from the Shiraz area, which is within the estimated limits of the missile’s likely capabilities, the report said.

Based on Iran’s focus on the F-35I, the James Martin analysts assumed the likely target point for the Iranian fire would be a cluster of aircraft hangars. That offers “a much more valuable target” than just “poking holes in the runway,” Lair said. But none of the Iranian missiles directly hit those hangars.

Assuming Iran targeted the hangars, the James Martin analysts measured the distance between the hangars and the impact zones of the missiles. It gave an average of about 1.2 kilometers for the “circular error probable”, a measurement used by experts to determine a weapon’s accuracy based on the radius of a circle that encompasses 50 percent of where the missiles landed.

“This means the Emad is much less accurate than previous estimates indicated,” Lair said. “This indicates the Iranians are a generation behind where previous assessments thought they were in accuracy.”

Former British paratrooper and former Sandhurst senior lecturer, Andrew Fox, said Iran’s capability “is a paper tiger”.

“This is why they created their network of proxies and why the regime so desperately want nuclear weapons,” he said, speaking from Israel. “We know their capabilities from the Iraq-Iran war. They are no match for Israel’s military firepower and defensive strength.”

While Iran’s leaders continue to threaten a follow-up to April’s attack, he said it would be nothing more than “embarrassing”, and risk drawing the US into the battle.

“A far more likely method of revenge against Israel for the Haniyeh assassination is for Iran to use their proxies to stoke tensions in the West Bank and try to create a third intifada,” he said.

US intelligence agencies said in a report in July that Iran has “the largest inventory of ballistic missiles in the region and continues to emphasize improving the accuracy, lethality and reliability of these systems”.

The report from the director of national intelligence also said “Iran probably is incorporating lessons learned” from the April attack.

However, Behnam Ben Taleblu, an American Iranian and a senior fellow at the NGO, the Foundation of Defense of Democracies (FDD), told Iran International that while Iran's progress in its missile program should be looked at in the context of the maturity of the program, it cannot be downplayed.

“In the past few years people have been talking about Iran’s advances, in range and precision, but it has to be seen as relative in terms of the program and capabilities.

“Over the last decade, the missile attacks had not faced defended targets like the April attack against Israel. Never had Iran launched ballistic missiles from its own territory against Israel or against a defended target, and at that long range."

During the Iran-Iraq War, following the West's refusal to help build Iran's capabilities, Tehran significantly ramped up its missile program.

Many strikes have been launched by Iran but the targeted nations have often remained silent either due to a lack of military capability or an unwillingness to respond, as seen in Iraq and Syria. Notably, Pakistan stood out for its swift and decisive response to an Iranian missile attack.

He said the latest report, while important, reads like "more of the same" to those following Iran's progress closely. "It’s an indictment of the medium range systems that employ liquid propellant rather than the short range ones employing solid propellant," he said.

Iran’s medium range, nuclear capability missiles, remain weapons of terror, but with the capability to improve over time, he said, "though that hasn’t been brought to bear yet".

“If we see it as a nuclear delivery vehicle, we must still mention that four to seven missiles still reached Israel. Even if one of those had a nuclear warhead, it could be a game changer. So all of this has to be taken into account."