Babak Shahbazi, a political prisoner and father of two, faces an imminent risk of execution in Iran amid a new wave of mass arrests and severe repression. His case has become a stark symbol of the clerical regime’s systematic human rights violations, highlighting the urgent need for international intervention.
Following recent crises, the regime’s security forces have launched large-scale raids, detaining hundreds of citizens in inhumane conditions and often denying them legal counsel. Verein Welle has consistently organized international campaigns and appeals to save the lives of prisoners caught in this brutal crackdown.
The cruel targeting of a Family
The story of Babak Shahbazi illustrates the profound injustice of the situation. He is a father to a young son and daughter whose lives have been shattered by his arrest. In a chilling act of psychological torture, interrogators told his young son:
“Say goodbye to your father; we are going to execute him.”
This cruel act is not only an assault on a prisoner’s family but also a flagrant violation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Iran is a signatory. It exposes the regime’s willingness to inflict deep psychological trauma on even the most vulnerable.
Execution as a weapon of political repression
The clerical regime has a long history of using the death penalty as a political tool to silence dissent, a pattern seen in the mass executions of the 1980s. Today, Babak Shahbazi and many others are targeted not for crimes, but for demanding freedom and justice.
International human rights organizations and UN Special Rapporteurs have strongly condemned this crackdown, emphasizing that these actions are gross violations of the right to life and the right to a fair trial.
An urgent call for international action
Silence in the face of such atrocities only emboldens the clerical regime. The international community cannot stand by as innocent lives are threatened. The case of Babak Shahbazi is a critical call to action for all who value human dignity.
We urge democratic governments, international bodies, and human rights defenders to:
- Demand an Immediate Halt: Publicly call for a stop to the execution of Babak Shahbazi and all political prisoners in Iran.
- Enforce Accountability: Utilize diplomatic pressure and international accountability mechanisms to hold the perpetrators responsible.
- Amplify the Voices: Share these stories widely to ensure the world knows about the human cost of repression in Iran.
Saving the life of Babak Shahbazi is a stand against the regime’s machinery of death and a defense of the universal right to life. Every day of delay puts more lives at risk.
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