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| Musa Berzin, human rights lawyer |
For weeks, the Iranian government has been exceeding its own legal norms by implementing executions at record levels. In just the past two weeks, more than 20 executions have been carried out in Iranian Azerbaijan alone.
Lawyer Musa Berzin spoke to Voice of America about the record number of executions and the policies surrounding the enforcement of mandatory hijab rules.
“It is true that the Iranian laws prescribe the death penalty for various crimes, including murder, drug trafficking, armed activity against the regime, or large-scale efforts to overthrow the regime. However, executions are not always carried out strictly under these laws and legal processes. They are often viewed more through a security lens,” the lawyer stated.
According to Berzin, the government speeds up the execution of sentences during times when protests are on the rise within the country.
“They line up the execution orders, and they execute them according to the queue. Normally, there is a sequence. But in recent times, we’ve seen that this sequence no longer exists, and executions are being carried out hastily. Now, does an order come from somewhere? Absolutely, but it’s unclear where it comes from. This is a matter discussed by the country's high-ranking officials, and decisions are made based on current circumstances as to whether executions should increase or decrease. Especially when protests occur or when the government feels a sense of fear from the people, executions rise. As we have seen recently,” he added.
Musa Berzin emphasizes that the Iranian judiciary does not play a leading role in the increase of executions.
He explained, “The increase or decrease in executions is not a legal issue, it is a political and security issue. The decision is primarily made by the security agencies. Executions are not carried out through legal procedures. If the judiciary were to decide on executions, the process would take years. In normal circumstances, it could take five years to reach a decision on someone’s execution, and that decision would be carried out.”
The lawyer also discussed the recent developments regarding the enforcement of mandatory hijab rules in Iran.
“Government agencies, for instance, order that women who do not comply with the hijab rule should be denied access to hospitals, not be given medication, and have their cars impounded for a period. In some places, services are withheld from them. There are even instances where the Iranian ‘national code’ is blocked, meaning a person’s identification number is blocked, and many civil services are withheld. All of this happens outside the law. Iranian courts also comply with these illegal practices. The ‘Hijab and Chastity’ project has not yet become law, but it will likely be passed soon. Currently, they want to turn what they’ve been doing into law so that it becomes easier for them and the courts have more freedom to act. However, even if it becomes law, it would still be against human rights and legal principles,” Musa Berzin added.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Musa Bərzin: İranda edamların artması məhkəmə sisteminin deyil, siyasi və təhlükəsizlik orqanlarının qərarı ilə bağlıdır