Behzad

🚨 An 18-year-old Iranian girl has been sentenced to death and may be raped before execution. The revolutionary court has sentenced Niloufar Esfahani to death by hanging for protesting after her arrest alongside her mother. While executing someone for protesting and demanding basic rights is already cruel, Niloufar is reportedly a virgin, adding a deeply disturbing dimension to her case. Activists and historical accounts document that female prisoners have been subjected to sexual violence before execution, based on the regime's long-standing belief that virgins would otherwise go to heaven. This practice has been referenced in accounts from the 1980s. In his memoirs, Ayatollah Montazeri described how directives around female prisoners were misused, including forced temporary “marriages” before execution. Reports such as Justice for Iran’s Crime and Impunity also cite survivor testimonies alleging systematic sexual abuse. This sick, gendered, and inhumane practice has never disappeared throughout the Islamic Republic’s 47-year rule.

🔴 You can’t make this up. In January, the Iranian regime killed +40,000 protesters in the streets, including children as young as 8. Just 90 days later, countries like the UK, France, and Spain supported Iran’s appointment to a leadership role on a UN human rights body.

SHAME: The Islamic Republic of Iran has just been nominated to the U.N. Committee for Program and Coordination, which meets soon to shape policy on women's rights, human rights, disarmament, and terrorism prevention. ECOSOC members who backed this include: 🇬🇧🇪🇸🇨🇦🇫🇷🇩🇪🇳🇴🇳🇱🇦🇺🇨🇭🇦🇹🇫🇮