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An Iranian father who protested the regime was executed after the state cancelled his final visit with his family — only to tell them over the phone afterwards that they already killed him, his grieving relatives said.
Mohammad Abbasi, 55, was executed on Wednesday inside the Qezel Hesar prison, in Karaj, as his family was ordered to come see him one last time, according to the Iran Human Rights Monitor group.
But when the family got there to say their goodbyes, prison officials rejected their plea to see Mr Abbasi, sending them home and calling them later to inform them that his execution had been carried out, the New York Postreports.
“The prevention of a final visit is not only psychological torture of the family, but also an explicit violation of the Executive Regulations of the Prisons Organization and international standards for prisoners’ rights, which emphasize the right to a farewell before the execution of a death sentence,” Iran HRM said in a statement.
“The objective of these legal violations goes beyond punishing an individual; it aims to psychologically paralyze society and create a ‘paralyzing shock’ among protesters to suppress the public will for seeking justice,” the group added.
Mr Abbasi was sentenced to death over his participation in the January protests that saw thousands rise up against the Islamic regime over its totalitarian rule and failure to fix the nation’s economic crisis.
The 55-year-old was accused of attacking a lieutenant of Iran’s security forces during the protests, with the state claiming Abbasi was a long-time dissident acting on behalf of “the Zionist coup,” according to human rights groups.
Like other protesters, Mr Abbasi was featured on state TV confessing to the charges.
Iran HRM asserted that like the others killed by state, the father was forced to make the statement under torture.
As Mr Abbasi’s family grieves his death, they also have to contend with the fate of his daughter, Fatemeh Abbasi, who was sentenced to 25-years in prison for joining her father in the protests.
Fatemeh is currently being held in the women’s ward of the notorious Evin prison, according to local reports and human rights groups. Iran has continued to carry out the executions of those arrested during the chaotic protests on January 8 and 9, which saw the Islamic republic’s security forces fire upon its citizens, killing more than 7,000 people.
At least 146 Iranians are believed to have been executed since the war started, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights group.
This article originally appeared in the New York Post and has been reproduced with permission.
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