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During recent weeks, Tehran’s Prosecutor has defended executions and threatened those who criticize them in Iran. Ebadi said that the recent execution of five political prisoners poses a danger for more prisoner executions in whose indictments the death penalty has been requested. She said, “The Iranian government announced recently that they would allow visits by human rights rapporteurs. If this is true, and they are willing to deliver on their promise, they must allow the rapporteurs to arrive in Iran immediately. It is best if the Iranian government makes good on this promise and issues visas for special rapporteurs in order for them to travel to Iran. The Iranian government should let them review the case files and facilitate their access to prisons and families of those executed, as well as families of other political prisoners. An impartial international authority’s review can show the facts.”

Reflecting on the performance of the Iranian Judiciary since Sadegh Larijani’s appointment she said, “Unfortunately, during recent months and especially since Mr. Larijani assumed responsibility of the Judiciary, we have witnessed the deterioration of the Judiciary’s independence. We observe that politics plays the main role in courtrooms and many political prisoners state that their sentences are pre-determined by security officials who dictate them to judges who in turn confirm those sentences.”

According to a new directive by the General Counc... >>>