Widespread French Call to End Executions in Iran: “No to Executions, Yes to Justice”

2025-04-12
02:06:46

Widespread French Call to End Executions in Iran: “No to Executions, Yes to Justice”

Paris – In a powerful show of growing international concern over the surge in executions in Iran, a group of prominent French mayors and political figures has issued a joint appeal titled “No to Executions in Iran,” urging the global community to take immediate action to end what they describe as systematic state repression.

The appeal was initiated by respected political and human rights advocates, including Jean-Pierre Muller, former mayor of Magny-en-Vexin, and Jean-François Legaret, former mayor of Paris’s 1st arrondissement, alongside numerous honorary officials and current mayors from across France.

Signatories stated that this initiative comes in response to alarming international reports. According to Amnesty International, Iran was responsible for 74% of all documented executions worldwide in 2023. In just the first three months of 2025, 386 executions have already been carried out, including political opponents such as Reza Rasai, who was arrested during the November 2022 protests.

A recent report by the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran characterized ongoing violations in the country as potentially rising to the level of crimes against humanity, including murder, torture, rape, and other forms of sexual violence. Additionally, UN Special Rapporteur Javaid Rehman pointed to compelling evidence of genocide against political opponents, particularly referencing the 1988 massacre, which claimed the lives of an estimated 30,000 political prisoners.

No The statement condemned the Iranian regime’s use of executions as a political weapon to instill fear and suppress potential uprisings, noting that the shameful silence from the international community has emboldened Tehran to continue its campaign of repression.

Meanwhile, an unprecedented protest movement has emerged inside Iran, with political prisoners in 20 prisons launching hunger strikes every Tuesday as part of a growing campaign under the banner “No to Executions.” This campaign is gaining traction both within Iran and internationally.

The signatories also voiced strong support for Maryam Rajavi, leader of the Iranian opposition, and her call to end executions and abolish the death penalty in Iran, as outlined in her Ten-Point Plan for the Future of Iran. This call was reiterated during an international legal conference held in Paris on August 24, 2024.

Among the prominent signatories:

• Grégory Doucet, Mayor of Lyon

• Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice

• Michaël Delafosse, Mayor of Montpellier

• Pierre Hurmic, Mayor of Bordeaux

• Martine Aubry, Mayor of Lille and former Minister of Labor and Solidarity

• As well as more than 1,000 other French mayors representing cities and towns across the country.

The signatories expressed hope that this campaign marks the beginning of broader international pressure on the Iranian regime to halt executions and hold perpetrators of crimes against humanity accountable.