No political executions in Iran: Larijani

Iran’s Judiciary head says there are no political executions in Iran.
The Office of Public Relations and Occasions of the Judiciary announced that Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani, who was speaking in a meeting with high Judiciary authorities, said that “in general, executions have been for drug traffickers or those who has embarked on a military campaign against the Islamic Republic.”

Larijani also pointed to the new report by the US Secretary of State about human rights situations in Iran, and discredited the report due to claims cited in the report made by opposition groups.

“The unfortunate conditions of Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, and reports and details of events alone suffice to question the US honesty in its claims on human rights,” said the Judiciary head.

“While the US officials have announced that they control citizens’ phone conversations, how they can have concerns over human rights in other countries?” asked Larijani rhetorically.

He described the claims about heavy sentences on individuals without fair trials and due legal process, detention of human rights activists without legal accusations, and beating the detainees, execution of individuals for insulting high officials and under the blanket accusation of acting against the national security, and launching fight against God in its literal sense as ‘pure lies.’

“In general, executions have been for drug, since Iran is committed to fight with ‘traders of death’ ethically and morally; and major part of these drugs is smuggled to Europe and the US,” Larijani added.

The head of the Judiciary asserted that “the US invaded Afghanistan under the pretext of fighting terrorism and killed many innocent people, and now we see a country with escalating drug production; while the Islamic Republic of Iran fights the drug traffickers, and is being accused of violating human rights.”

He emphasized that there was no political executions in Iran. “the majority of the executions are on individuals embarking on armed conflict with the Islamic Republic, and this is not a political activity,” said he, adding that “in addition, according to Islamic Republic’s constitution, the net punishment for acting against national security is not execution, and if you claim that we did execution solely for this reason, name those of the executed.”

The head of the Judiciary pointed to the English text of the report of US Secretary of State, and believed that the reading by the West of ‘muharaba’ was inaccurate. “‘muharaba’ is literally ‘enmity toward God,’ however, what matters in the constitution, is armed campaign against citizens,” added the Judiciary head.

Ayatollah Larijani regretted the fact that US have abused the human rights, and pointed to discrediting of Iran’s future elections by the US. “ in the report by the US Secretary of State, it is said that Iran is posing obstacles in the way of fair and free elections, preventing democratic change of power; this claim came when, in average, elections have been held annually in Iran, and in the past, despite the western claims, all parties and groups have made the cabinet, and even in the case of acting against the interests of the system, they have been tolerated, and they have passed the power to next governments,” said he, and that “ while in some of pro-west countries, even a single election has not been held, and yet they are supported by the US.