Human Rights Reports: 22 Ahvaz Inmates Executed in Iran

Iranian military officials and clerics attend a mass funeral for the victims of those killed during an attack on a military parade. AFP
Iranian military officials and clerics attend a mass funeral for the victims of those killed during an attack on a military parade. AFP
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Human Rights Reports: 22 Ahvaz Inmates Executed in Iran

Iranian military officials and clerics attend a mass funeral for the victims of those killed during an attack on a military parade. AFP
Iranian military officials and clerics attend a mass funeral for the victims of those killed during an attack on a military parade. AFP

Human Right activists confirmed on Sunday that Iran has executed Ahvaz inmates who were arrested last September in connection to an attack against a Revolutionary Guards military parade.

Sources said officials from the Iranian Intelligence contacted the families of 22 inmates, informing them of their execution and having them pledge not to hold any gathering or ceremonies, while authorities refused to hand over the bodies for proper burials.

Other sources close to the victims’ families said the 22 executed inmates were arrested on Sept. 24 by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence in connection to the parade attack.

Human Rights Monitor website quoted activists in Ahvaz as saying that the office of the regime’s intelligence ministry contacted the families of the executed detainees on Nov. 10 to summon them at its headquarters.

“On their arrival, they were given their loved ones’ death certificates and ordered not to hold any funeral ceremonies or mourning rituals or to receive anyone at their homes for condolences,” the activists said, adding that the regime threatened to arrest anyone violating its orders.

The Revolutionary Guards had vowed to exact “deadly and unforgettable” vengeance for the attack on the parade that killed 25 people.

The assault was one of the worst ever against the most powerful force of Iran, as it struck a blow at its security establishment.

“Considering (the Guards’) full knowledge about the centers of deployment of the criminal terrorist leaders ..., they will face a deadly and unforgettable vengeance in the near future,” the Guards had said in a statement carried by state media.

Following the Sept. 22 attack on the parade, Iranian authorities waged a campaign against Ahvaz minorities, arresting hundreds in the Khuzestan province, according to the HRM website.



ICC Warrants are Binding, EU Cannot Pick and Choose, Borrell Says

23 May 2023, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement in the Knesset. (dpa)
23 May 2023, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement in the Knesset. (dpa)
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ICC Warrants are Binding, EU Cannot Pick and Choose, Borrell Says

23 May 2023, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement in the Knesset. (dpa)
23 May 2023, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement in the Knesset. (dpa)

European Union governments cannot pick and choose whether to execute arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against two Israeli leaders and a Hamas commander, the EU's foreign policy chief said on Saturday.

The ICC issued the warrants on Thursday against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri, for alleged crimes against humanity.

All EU member states are signatories to the ICC's founding treaty, called the Rome Statute.

Several EU states have said they will meet their commitments under the statute if needed, but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has invited Netanyahu to visit his country, assuring him he would face no risks if he did so.

"The states that signed the Rome convention are obliged to implement the decision of the court. It's not optional," Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat, said during a visit to Cyprus for a workshop of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists.

Those same obligations were also binding on countries aspiring to join the EU, he said.

"It would be very funny that the newcomers have an obligation that current members don't fulfil," he told Reuters.

The United States rejected the ICC's decision and Israel said the ICC move was antisemitic.

"Every time someone disagrees with the policy of one Israeli government - (they are) being accused of antisemitism," said Borrell, whose term as EU foreign policy chief ends this month.

"I have the right to criticize the decisions of the Israeli government, be it Mr Netanyahu or someone else, without being accused of antisemitism. This is not acceptable. That's enough."

Israel's 13-month campaign in Gaza has killed about 44,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly all the enclave's population while creating a humanitarian crisis, Gaza officials say.

In their decision, the ICC judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant were criminally responsible for acts including murder, persecution and starvation as a weapon of war as part of a "widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza".

The warrant for Masri lists charges of mass killings during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. Israel says it has killed Masri.