Dr. Sami Khater — Academic and University Professor
Prepared by: Ahmed Al-Romah
When the world’s highest human rights authority abandons diplomatic language and describes a state’s actions as “a systematic pattern of using the death penalty as a tool of intimidation,” we have moved beyond political condemnation and entered the realm of officially documenting a crime against humanity.
The report issued by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is not merely a collection of horrifying statistics. It is a historic record — an official indictment of the mullahs’ regime — and a declaration that what is happening in Iran is not simply repression, but an outright war waged by the state against its own people.
This announcement from Geneva, delivered with legal restraint but moral force, places a pressing question before the world’s conscience: What comes next? The response to this documented crime will not come from yet another round of futile condemnations. It will come from the living crowds gathering in the heart of Europe. The September 6 demonstration in Brussels is the tangible, popular, and human response to this systematic brutality.
Dismantling the Strategy of Terror: Behind the Killing Machine
To grasp the depth of the crisis, we must look beyond the staggering number — 841 executions in eight months — and analyze the strategy behind it. As UN spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani noted, these are not mere punishments; they are a “tool of intimidation” wielded by the state.
- First, the regime disproportionately targets ethnic minorities — Kurds, Arabs, Baluchis — as well as Afghan migrants. This is no coincidence. It is part of a malicious “divide and rule” policy designed to fracture national unity and prevent the formation of a cross-ethnic opposition front.
- Second, the state resorts to public executions — barbaric rituals from a darker age — with the aim of crushing society’s morale, particularly among children, and normalizing the spectacle of death. It is an attempt to assassinate human dignity in public space.
- Third and most dangerous, these executions deliberately target symbols of resistance and change. The fact that six individuals accused of belonging to the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, along with five activists from the 2022 uprising — including the courageous worker Sharifeh Mohammadi — are on the brink of execution reveals the regime’s true fear. It does not fear ordinary crime; it fears organized thought, political courage, and the will to change. Every death sentence against a political activist is a desperate attempt to kill an idea — but history has proven that ideas do not die by execution.
When Words Fail: The Urgency of Action
High Commissioner Volker Türk and the entire UN office have called on Tehran to halt executions. These appeals are necessary and important — but tragically insufficient. For over four decades, the mullahs’ regime has shown that it neither understands international law nor respects the calls of UN bodies.
Its only language is that of force and violence. As the UN spokesperson noted, governments facing opposition to their policies “become more repressive.” This means the regime will not stop on its own — it must be stopped. Here, organized popular power becomes the decisive factor in shifting the equation.
Brussels: Where the Culture of Life Confronts the Culture of Death
In this tragic context, the September 6 demonstration in Brussels takes on both a human and historic dimension. It is not just a political march; it is an act of resistance against the culture of death promoted by the regime. It is a direct response to every noose raised in Iran.
For every execution, thousands will stand in Brussels to affirm their commitment to life. In contrast to the targeting of minorities, the demonstration will showcase a model of Iranian national unity in all its diversity. Against sham trials built on “vague laws,” participants will present a clear vision of a state founded on the rule of law.
This vision is embodied in the Ten-Point Plan of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi. The most powerful answer to the UN’s harrowing report is found in the plan’s very first point: “Abolition of the death penalty.”
This single clause stands as the complete antithesis of everything the mullahs’ regime represents. It is a pledge to build a society that respects the most sacred of rights: the right to life. The Brussels demonstration is where the Iranian people will announce that they do not merely reject this blood-soaked regime — they possess a democratic and humane alternative ready to replace it.
The message launched from Brussels will be addressed to the entire world: the United Nations has delivered its testimony — now it is time for free peoples to deliver their support. The moment has come to stand with the Iranian people and their organized resistance, to bring an end to this ongoing crime and build a bright future for Iran.
