Haunting faces of the forgotten: Amid fears US may be poised to pull out of Iran war, families of condemned activists beg the world not to look the other way
Two young boys in striped blue prison shirts wandered outside the courthouse, fidgeting anxiously, their eyes wide with fear.
Erfan Amiri, 17, and Ehsan Hesarlu, 18, had already ‘confessed’ to arson during anti-regime protests in January, following weeks of harassment by Iranian police.
As the ‘expedited, torture-tainted’ trial continues to broadcast to the nation from the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, human rights groups warn that without help they will join dozens of men already sentenced to death.
This week, 18-year-old musician Amirhossein Hatami was executed for the same crime. Now Mohammad Amin Biglari (19), Ali Fahim (23), Abolfazl Salehi Siavashani (51) and Shahin Vahedparast Kolor (30) have been placed in solitary confinement before execution.
At least 25 people are awaiting execution, with thousands more at risk; More than half a dozen have already been executed after being arrested during protests.
While the uprising began and grew organically in response to exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi’s calls to take to the streets on January 8 and 9, it was heavily encouraged by Donald Trump.
The US President promised activists that if the Iranian regime ‘does anything bad’ to them, ‘we will hit them very hard’.
When Tehran massacred more than 30,000 people by some accounts, he promised ‘help is on the way’ and told the brave Iranian people: ‘Keep protesting.’ Sources familiar with the Islamic Republic’s justice system said it was only the “threat of American attack” that prevented “the execution machine from fully mobilizing”.
Trump appeared to have kept his promise on February 28 when he helped Israel assassinate the regime’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, before violent joint attacks eliminated most of the leadership and were applauded by the public.
Picture: Erfan Amiri, 17, and Ehsan Hesarlu, 18, had already ‘confessed’ to arson during anti-regime protests in January, following weeks of ill-treatment by Iranian police
Another man sentenced to death was Mohammed Abbasi, 55, of Moharebeh (pictured), who was convicted of murdering a police colonel, and his distraught daughter Fatemeh, 33 (pictured behind Mr Abbasi), watched on in court.
Image: Mohammad Amin Bigleri is one of many Iranians currently sentenced to death
The fear now is that the US appears on the verge of withdrawing, satisfied that Tehran has reduced its nuclear capabilities but left the regime and its ‘execution machine’ in place.
Today, the Daily Mail is publishing photos of all those at risk of execution and whose families have given permission to share their photos, as they call on Washington and the world not to forget them.
Iran’s Director of Human Rights, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, told the Daily Mail: ‘It is important to emphasize that any agreement, negotiation or dialogue with the Islamic Republic must establish at its core the human rights situation of the Iranian people and immediately end the use of the death penalty as a primary condition.’
An Iranian whose brother was tortured and killed in January said: ‘These are not just statistics; These are children, people with dreams and futures. The world can no longer remain silent. ‘Now is the time to act, to speak and to defend the rights to live.’
Amnesty International warned that the trial of Erfan and Ehsan at Tehran Revolutionary Court Branch 26 was ‘extremely unfair’. They were arrested on January 8, along with 17-year-old Matin Mohammadi, for their alleged involvement in a fire at the feared Basij paramilitary base that killed two agents.
‘Ehsan was forced to ‘confess’ after severe beatings and when interrogators put a gun in his mouth,’ the human rights group said; Meanwhile, their lawyers were threatened until the state appointed a lawyer who ‘did not defend them effectively’.
Another person at serious risk is 18-year-old Danial Niazi, who is charged with attempted murder, intentional assault, assembly and collusion against national security.
When her mother visited her in prison last month, she said she was ‘beaten so badly she couldn’t walk’ and guards threatened to arrest and rape her.
It had been hoped that the young people arrested would be spared because the regime had previously said it would discriminate between what it had chillingly described as ‘deceived youth’. But Amirhossein’s execution on Wednesday marked a troubling escalation. He was one of seven people arrested on January 8, charged with arson, and brought before the ‘Judge of Death’ Abolghassem Salavati at Tehran’s feared Revolutionary Tribunal on February 6.
Shahab Zohdi (pictured) was sentenced to death. He raised his child alone for 15 years after his wife died five months after his birth.
Danial Niazi (pictured), 18, is charged with attempted murder, intentional assault, assembly and collusion against national security
This week 18-year-old musician Amirhossein Hatami (pictured) was hanged
Each was found guilty of ‘Moharebeh’ or ‘Enmity Against God’ and sentenced to death by hanging; The first person to be executed this week was Amir Hussein.
Among them was Shahab Zohdi, who raised his child alone for 15 years after his wife died five months after his birth.
Just like 38-year-old Abolfazl Siavashani, 51, the sole breadwinner of his 18-year-old son, works long hours as a motorcycle courier to make ends meet. However, this did not matter much in the eyes of Salavati, who gave the same sentence to 19-year-old Mohammad Amin Bigleri, 23-year-old Ali Fahim, 30-year-old Shahin Vahedparast Kolor and Yaser Rajaifar.
Another person sentenced to death was Mohammed Abbasi, 55, of Moharebeh, who was convicted of murdering a police colonel; His distraught daughter Fatemeh, 33, was watching him in court.
The regime has already stepped up executions after Trump signaled an end to the war with the hanging of four political prisoners this week.
“Iranians did not sacrifice themselves for another version of the regime,” said an Iranian whose brother was beaten during the protests. ‘Freedom has a price; Israel and the US need to finish the job.’
The White House said: ‘President Trump is achieving the military objectives outlined under Operation Epic Fury, eliminating Iran’s short- and long-term threats to our country and our allies, making the entire region safer and more stable.’
Additional reporting: Tilly Kirk
