The blaze erupted in a music room on the fourth floor of Takinogawa Dai-san Elementary School in Tokyo’s Kita district, sending thick black smoke billowing from the building and triggering an emergency response involving 75 fire engines and dozens of firefighters.

All pupils and staff were evacuated safely, and firefighters brought the blaze under control after approximately three hours, media reports said.

Most of the injured suffered from smoke inhalation, according to Kyodo News. Four people were reportedly rescued from inside the school building during the operation.

Witnesses described scenes of confusion as helicopters circled overhead and parents rushed to the school to collect their children.

One eyewitness said several children escaped through classroom windows onto a concrete ledge before firefighters used ladders to bring them to safety.

A sixth-grade student said she and her classmates first noticed the smell of smoke while attending lessons two rooms away from the music room where the fire reportedly began.

“We thought maybe someone was cooking. Then the siren went off,” she said.

The student said children covered their mouths with handkerchiefs as they descended the stairs and evacuated to the school grounds.

“Then we saw the music room already burning with flames,” she said, adding that she heard a loud bang from an area between the music room and an adjacent multi-purpose room.

“It was scary, and a lot of kids were crying,” she said.

Authorities have not yet announced the cause of the fire, and investigations into the incident are ongoing.

Takinogawa Dai-san Elementary School is located in the northern part of Tokyo and serves students from the surrounding residential area.

At a sports club in Camp 19, children aged between six and 15 gather to watch recorded World Cup matches on a large screen after live broadcasts were restricted in the camps over security concerns, according to the organisation running the programme.

The club, operated by the Friendship nongovernmental organisation, has created a space where children can follow their favourite teams and players while participating in football and other sporting activities.

“Girls make up around one-third of the audience,” said Molla Shihab Uddin, senior coordinator at Friendship, adding that the centre records matches and screens them the following morning.

The sports programme also provides equipment through a mobile sports library, allowing children to borrow jerseys and participate in local games inside the refugee settlements.

The Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority from Myanmar’s Rakhine state, have faced decades of displacement and restrictions, with hundreds of thousands fleeing to Bangladesh following a military crackdown in 2017.

Around 1.3 million Rohingya refugees currently live in 33 camps in Cox’s Bazar, where access to formal education, employment and recreational opportunities remains limited.

The Camp 19 sports club was launched in 2021 in partnership with Dutch organisation KLABU, with support from French football club Paris Saint-Germain, to promote physical and mental well-being among refugee children.

The centre now has about 1,600 regular child members, including 600 girls, who take part in football, cricket, volleyball and other activities.

Uddin said sport helps children maintain confidence and resilience in an environment where uncertainty over their future remains a major challenge.

The report by UNICEF said it cross-referenced population data of roughly 2.4 billion children with the geographic distribution of eight major climate hazards, including coastal flooding, river flooding, drought, tropical storms, heat waves, extreme heat, wildfires and sandstorms.

It found that around 1.1 billion children are exposed to at least three climate hazards, with the most common combination being drought, extreme heat above 35 degrees Celsius, and heat waves. That specific combination alone affects about 296 million children globally.

The report highlighted that exposure is heavily concentrated in parts of South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Countries with large child populations, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria, account for some of the highest absolute numbers of affected children.

Nigeria alone has about 74 million children exposed to at least three hazards, while Pakistan has 34 million and India 32 million, according to the report.

It also found that nearly all children globally — about 2.3 billion — are exposed to at least one climate hazard, while 2 billion face at least two and 364 million are exposed to four or more.

The report warned that 123,000 children face seven or more climate hazards, including about 46,000 in Myanmar, underscoring extreme exposure in some regions.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said children are “at the forefront of the impact of climate change,” according to the report, which also noted that vulnerability is intensified in countries with limited capacity to respond to disasters.

UNICEF researcher Tom Slaymaker said climate risks are concentrated in “hot spots” in Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South Asia, though he added that no country is entirely spared from climate-related threats.

The report noted that in some countries such as Chad, more than 95 percent of children are exposed to at least three climate hazards, driven by compounding risks and weak infrastructure.

It also identified 39 small island states as particularly vulnerable due to limited freshwater resources, import dependence and exposure to extreme weather events, including hurricanes.

Nearly 600 children with suspected or confirmed measles have died since March, while hospitals across the country are struggling to cope with hundreds of new admissions each day. Medical facilities remain under severe pressure as doctors attempt to isolate infected patients and prevent further transmission.

Health experts fear large-scale population movement during the Eid holidays could accelerate the spread of the highly contagious disease, particularly in rural areas with limited access to healthcare services.

The outbreak has overwhelmed pediatric wards in several hospitals, prompting renewed calls for expanded vaccination efforts and stronger public health measures to contain the crisis.

The recent escalation of violence across parts of the Middle East and North Africa is intensifying risks for children, with mounting evidence of casualties, displacement, and psychological distress, according to accounts compiled by humanitarian agencies and local testimonies.

The developments reflect a broader pattern in which children are increasingly exposed to recurrent episodes of armed conflict, disrupting essential services and undermining long-term well-being.In Tehran, a mother identified as Maryam described the sequence of events that unfolded during a recent episode of strikes. While attempting to pick up her younger son from school, she received a message from her older son indicating that an attack had occurred. Communication networks were partially disrupted, delaying contact.

When she eventually reached him, he was sheltering in a school basement alongside other students. According to her account, several children were visibly distressed, while others attempted to remain composed. During the exchange, her son asked whether the situation constituted a war, reflecting uncertainty among civilians amid rapidly changing conditions.Maryam reported that urban mobility was severely affected during the incident, with traffic congestion extending travel times significantly.

Upon reaching her younger child, she described an immediate but temporary sense of relief. In the days that followed, she noted that aerial activity and bombardments became more frequent, contributing to a sustained atmosphere of insecurity.Humanitarian reporting indicates that similar patterns are emerging across multiple locations in the region.

Recent weeks have seen a rise in reported child casualties, alongside large-scale displacement affecting hundreds of thousands. Many families have been forced to relocate to temporary shelters, often under urgent and unstable conditions. The disruption has extended to critical infrastructure, including schools and healthcare facilities, which are increasingly affected by ongoing hostilities.

In Lebanon, accounts from displaced families illustrate the immediate effects of these developments. Rahaf, aged five, described leaving her home due to safety concerns following nearby bombardments. She expressed a preference to return to familiar surroundings, highlighting the disruption of daily routines such as play and sleep. Another child, Adam, aged ten, recounted a nighttime evacuation marked by repeated airstrikes during transit.

He described the experience as disorienting, with persistent noise and physical tremors contributing to fear during the journey.Testimonies from Iran indicate comparable experiences. Maseeh, aged fourteen, stated that prior exposure to conflict had influenced his reaction, noting a degree of familiarity with such events. However, he acknowledged ongoing stress linked to uncertainty about potential future strikes.

Another teenager, Sina, aged sixteen, pointed to the combined impact of military activity and communication disruptions, including internet blackouts, as contributing to sustained psychological pressure.Field observations suggest that the effects of conflict on children extend beyond immediate physical risks. Behavioral responses, as described by caregivers, include coping mechanisms such as increasing exposure to music to mask the sound of explosions, as well as frequent communication among peers to confirm safety.

Questions about the continuity of education and the duration of hostilities appear to be common among affected children, according to parental accounts.Maryam noted that her children’s reactions often manifest in subtle ways, including heightened vigilance and repeated inquiries about safety and future developments. She indicated that this is not their first exposure to conflict, underscoring the cumulative nature of such experiences in certain regions.

The recurrence of these events raises concerns about long-term psychological impacts, particularly in contexts where access to consistent mental health support may be limited.Humanitarian organizations report that interventions are underway to address both immediate and longer-term needs. These include the provision of emergency supplies such as bedding, hygiene kits, and water, as well as efforts to deliver mental health and psychosocial support services.

Such programs aim to mitigate the effects of trauma and provide structured support for children and families navigating displacement and uncertainty.Despite these efforts, operational challenges persist due to the scale and frequency of the incidents. Displacement sites, including repurposed public buildings such as schools, are accommodating large numbers of families, often under constrained conditions.

The conversion of educational facilities into shelters further disrupts access to schooling, compounding the broader impact on children’s development.International humanitarian law stipulates the protection of civilians, including children, and the safeguarding of civilian infrastructure during armed conflict. However, reports from multiple locations indicate that these provisions are not consistently upheld.

The targeting or incidental damage of schools and healthcare facilities has been documented, raising concerns among international observers and aid agencies regarding compliance with established norms.Maryam also described the psychological burden experienced by caregivers, noting difficulties in maintaining a sense of security for children amid ongoing uncertainty.

She reported sleep disruption driven by concerns about responding to emergencies in a timely manner. Her account reflects a broader trend in which parents are managing both their own stress and the emotional needs of their children under prolonged conditions of instability.In addition to immediate safety concerns, there is evidence of longer-term social and developmental implications.

Repeated displacement, interruptions in education, and sustained exposure to violence are factors associated with adverse outcomes in child development, according to existing research cited by humanitarian agencies. The normalization of conflict within childhood environments represents a significant shift with potential generational effects.

Maryam indicated that she attempts to shield her children from the most distressing aspects of the situation, drawing on her own experiences of growing up in a conflict-affected environment. At the same time, she acknowledged limitations in her ability to fully mitigate the impact. She also referred to a broader awareness of families who have experienced greater losses, including those unable to provide similar levels of protection.

The current trajectory of events suggests that children in affected areas are likely to remain exposed to a combination of direct and indirect risks associated with armed conflict.

The persistence of hostilities, coupled with infrastructural disruptions and displacement, continues to shape the daily experiences of families across the region.

The strike, which occurred on Wednesday, targeted the Al-Salama neighborhood near a girls’ school, according to the El-Fasher Resistance Committee.

The group attributed the attack to the Sudanese army, which has been engaged in a conflict with the Rapid Support Forces since April 2023.

A medical source said the victims brought to a local hospital included six children, among them three secondary school students.

Sixteen others were wounded in the attack, including women and children, and are receiving treatment.

The strike underscores the continuing toll of the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region, where fighting between the army and paramilitary forces has displaced large numbers of civilians and strained already limited medical resources.

The common denominator of these children’s stories is poverty and unemployment.

Today, many children in Iran are forced to drop out of school, due to poverty and the economic crisis, and enter the labor market for their own or their family’s survival. These children are subjected to violence and abuse. This approach is a serious violation of international children’s rights. More than 5% of construction work in Iran, being one of the most difficult tasks, are done by working children.

The employment of low wage working children in the markets is very profitable for owners. For this reason, government institutions in charge in Iran are not only reluctant to solve this problem, but also are the main culprits.

According to the Mehr news agency, based on research conducted by the University of Welfare Sciences. The number of working and street children in Iranian cities is approximately 70,000.

In any city of Iran, you can see them walking in the streets with a bag on their shoulders. They go everywhere looking for waste, plastic bottles and discarded items for recycling. They search garbage bins, rubble, depots, wherever they could find these materials. What stands out is that, unequal to the heavy weight on their shoulders, they are often very young children.

A local reporter, reporting from across the city, said, “I came across a number of these kids searching the garbage bins with a big bag.  I went ahead and opened conversation and asked them about their lives and jobs.”

Vahid is the youngest of them all, but at his young age, he works more than the others. He says, “Including my parents, there are 14 of us and I am the eldest son in the family. My father is old and missing a kidney, so he cannot work”.

When asked, “How many hours a day do you work and how much do you earn?”

Vahid replied, “I leave the house at seven in the morning and return to sleep at night. I collect 30 to 40 kilograms of recyclable waste a day and sell it to a specific person in a garage. He buys them for 1500 tomans (equivalent to 10 cents) per kilogram”.

For another question, “Is this income enough for a family of 14 to meet its ends or not?”

He replied, “I do not know. Every month I go and give the money to my mother and I go back to the garage. I do not know if it is enough for them or not. I cannot make more unless I buy a cart. We came here from Mashhad (northeast of Iran). My family lives in Mallard (suburb of Tehran), but I live in the garage to be close to the garbage dump. I finished my second year of primary school and have not returned to school since my arrival here. I have a seven-year-old brother who should have gone to school this year but could not. They said he must have a cell phone, which we do not have!”

Several families live in the master’s garage

17-year-old Hadi talks about his living place, “This is one of master’s garages. He has three garages in Karaj, and everyone works for him. Meshkin Dasht Garage is around Ebrahimabad Park. There are about 20 of us staying there overnight. The whole garage has been turned into a living room. Several families also live there and pay rent to master”.

Hadi is illiterate and has never gone to school. He has rough workers’ hands and speaks loudly. He says, “We also came here from Mashhad. My father died and I have six sisters who are too young to work. My mother works in a clothing factory and she sleeps there at night with my sisters. In fact, they are also night guards. I work so they can study”.

I was curious about the master and asked them to tell me more about him. Hadi says, “From the beginning, everyone called him master (Arbab). We also call him master. We sell the things we collect to him and he pays us money every day. So far, I have worked for several people and they did not pay me, but the master pays every day”.

I asked them what the master was doing with the junk collected? Hadi continues, “He has a contract with the municipality. This is his area, and we are just allowed to work in his area. If we are outside this area, municipal officials will come and take us away”.

Vahid says, “Master has three garages, and he rides a high-end car. He has a lot of workers and he is rich”.

Hadi and Vahid, despite their young age, suffered as much as an adult. I realized this when I asked Vahid, “Do you not have an older brother?” A bitter laugh settled on the corner of his mouth and he said, “If I had, I would not have had to work like this”. This means that he accepted he is the head of a family and he must suffer and provide for them. These are not the imaginary stories of a thousand and one nights, these are not myths out of reach!

The common denominator of these children’s stories is poverty and unemployment. These factors weigh so heavily on their shoulders and are so harmful that they do not allow them to get out of the current situation.

Vahid and Hadi never spend time for themselves. At the height of adolescence, at their sensitive age period, at times when they need attention, fun and happiness, they work just to keep their families surviving. The days that must be spent building and developing the character of Vahid and Hadi are spent diving dumpsters.

Cyrus Yaqubi is a Research Analyst and Iranian Foreign Affairs Commentator investigating the social issues and economy of the middle east countries in general and Iran in particular.

Instead of shopping for toys, consider spending that money on a family vacation.

Vacations Boost Child Brain Development

If you’re one of the many parents struggling to stem the flow of unwanted toys into your home, here’s some good news. Several experts suggest that gifting children vacations and experiences instead of toys can boost their brain development.

In an article for the Telegraph, child psychotherapist Dr. Margot Sunderland postulated that vacations are an investment in your child’s brain development. She wrote, “This is because on a family holiday you are exercising two genetically ingrained systems deep in the brain’s limbic area, which can all too easily be “unexercised” in the home. These are the PLAY system and the SEEKING system”.

Sunderland cited the work of Professor Jaak Panksepp, a world-leading neuroscientist at Washington State University. Panksepp discovered the PLAY and SEEKING systems.

According to Sunderland, “The brain’s PLAY system is exercised every time you bury your child’s feet in the sand, tickle them on the pool lounger, or take them for a ride on your back. The brain’s SEEKING system is exercised each time you go exploring together: the forest, the beach, a hidden gem of a village”.

Exercising your child’s PLAY and SEEKING systems leads to growth in the frontal lobe. This part of the brain deals with cognitive functioning, problem-solving, emotional expression, memory, language, and judgment. And the more you use these systems, the stronger they become.

When you take your child on a vacation, they have the opportunity to explore a new place. This activates the SEEKING system. And removing your family from your daily, possibly stress-filled routines encourages you to play together.

Well-Being and Happiness

Beyond your child’s brain development, exercising their PLAY and SEEKING systems through a family vacation also contributes to their general happiness and well-being. When we activate those systems in our brain, neurochemicals such as dopamine, oxytocin, and opioids are released. These neurochemicals support feelings of closeness in relationships. They also relieve stress and help you feel that all is well and good.

A 2017 study suggests that time together is what makes people feel most loved. The study published in The Journal of Social and Personal Relationships involved asking 495 men and women between the ages of 18 and 93 to complete a questionnaire evaluating what makes people feel loved. Each of the 60 questions began with, “Most people feel loved when…”

The researchers learned that most people felt loved through interactions with other humans, not gifts. Dr. Zita Oravecz, one of the researchers, told NPR, “Our research found that micro-moments of positivity, like a kind word, cuddling with a child, or receiving compassion make people feel most loved.” Family vacations provide ample opportunities for these interactions because your family is removed from the distractions and responsibilities of everyday life.

So, for the next holiday or birthday, instead of shopping for toys, consider spending that money on a family vacation. You can even request that other gift-givers, such as grandparents, contribute to your vacation fund rather than purchasing a toy for your child. The memories from the special time you spend as a family will last far longer than your child’s interest in the next plaything they receive.

Article first published on Healthy Holistic Living.

Emmi Scott is a wellness writer based in Kansas City, MO.

The statement which was issued in cooperation with 13 International organizations stated that 147 children are inflicted with disabilities due to indiscriminate shelling on densely populated areas by the Houthis, landmines and Houthi-affiliated snipers.

The rights group accused Iran-backed militias of detaining 456 children in the Houthi-run prisons, while displacing 43,608 children and forcefully recruiting 12,341 children for militant activities.

Social Affairs Minister Dr. Ibtihaj al-Kamal also called on international organizations dealing with children’s welfare to back the Yemeni government in adopting plans that support children and rehabilitate them.

Kamal said in a statement that “4.5 million Yemeni children have been deprived of education since the Houthi militias led a coup late 2014.”

She accused the insurgents of shelling schools and turning them into military barracks, sending children to battlefronts and adopting curricula that encourage hatred and threaten the social fabric.

The rights group appealed the international community to take stringent actions against the Iran-backed militias to end their crimes, atrocities and violations against the Yemeni children.

The Iranian regime is the top executioner of women and holds the record on per capita executions in the world.

Annual report on the death penalty in Iran, October 2019

Iran top per capita executioner

Hundreds of people in Iran are sentenced to death annually. October 10, the World Day against the Death Penalty, reminds us of the thousands of death row prisoners lingering in jails in Iran.

Iranian regime officials have never heeded to the International community’s calls to abolish the death penalty.

Iran’s deliberate use of capital punishment has been a constant source of international outrage and condemnation. According to several independent international bodies, including the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran and Amnesty International, Iran is the leading state in executions per capita, second only to China in terms of figures. Iran also tops the charts in the number of executions of minors and juvenile offenders.

Iran Human Rights Monitor has recorded the execution of more than 200 individuals since the beginning of 2019 in Iran.

At least eight juvenile offenders and 10 women were executed, and 12 executions were carried out publicly.

There are six political prisoners among those executed.

The Iranian regime uses execution as a tool to suppress and silence a disgruntled public the majority of whom live under the poverty line, are unemployed and deprived of freedom of expression.

In March 2019, the regime’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, appointed a former notorious judge responsible for mass executions as the head of judiciary to keep a lid on social unrest.

Since then Ebrahim Raisi, who has participated in “death commissions” that ordered the 1988 massacre of thousands of prisoners, at least 173 people have been executed across Iran.

At least nine women have been executed in a period of slightly over eight months, while in a year-long period from 2016 to 2018, the number of women executed by the Iranian regime in the whole year ranged between 6 and 10. At the same time, the execution of drug-related prisoners escalated.

On March 5, 2019, the U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Robert Palladino denounced Raisi’s appointment as the head of Iran’s all-powerful judiciary calling it a “disgrace” and a “mockery of legal process” since Raisi is responsible for the deaths of thousands of political prisoners in the 1980s, including the 1988 massacre.

Palladino tweeted (both Farsi and English): “Ebrahim Raeesi (Raisi), involved in mass executions of political prisoners, was chosen to lead Iran’s judiciary. What a disgrace! The regime makes a mockery of the legal process by allowing unfair trials and inhumane prison conditions. Iranians deserve better!”

Executions carried out in prisons across Iran:

Executions in Iran contrary to international law

Death penalty violates the most fundamental human rights, the right to life and the right to freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

160 countries across the world have either abolished the death penalty or at least called a moratorium on its use.

The Iranian regime has not only refused to abolish the death penalty, but it executed:

• 12 people in public
• Eight juvenile offenders
• Mentally disabled
• 10 women
• 33 people on drug related charges
• People convicted of vague charges such as “waging war on God” or “corruption on earth”
• People on other non-violent crimes such as financial offences and ape

Furthermore, because of the clerical regime’s failure to categorize murders according to their degrees, anyone committing murder is sentenced to death, regardless of their motives.

At least 10 women hanged

At least 10 women were executed since the beginning of 2019.

On September 26, 2019, Leila Zarafshan was hanged in the Central Prison of Sanandaj.

An unidentified woman was hanged along with seven male prisoners on September 25, 2019, Raja’i Shahr Prison of Karaj.

A 38-year-old woman was executed in Mashhad Central Prison, on August 25, 2019.

Four women were executed in eight days in July. They include Maliheh Salehian hanged in the central prison of Mahabad, Zahra Safari Moghadam, 43, hanged in the Prison of Nowshahr, and Arasteh Ranjbar and Nazdar Vatankhah who had already spent 15 years in prison, hanged in the Central Prison of Urmia.

The Iranian regime is the top executioner of women and holds the record on per capita executions in the world.

Many of the women convicted of murder in Iran are themselves victims of domestic violence against women and have committed murder in self-defense.

The inhuman verdicts of execution particularly for Iranian women are carried out at the end of a non-standard and illegal due process.

Iran execute eight child offenders

At least eight people have been executed in Iran in 2019 for offences allegedly committed when they were children.

In a flagrant violation of international human rights, the Iranian regime in April flogged and executed two teenage boys without notifying their family or lawyers.

Mehdi Sohrabifar and Amin Sedaghat, two 17-year-old cousins, were executed on April 25 soon after being transferred to Adelabad prison in the southern Fars province. Both were arrested in more than two years ago, when they were 15 years old, and convicted on rape charges.

The boys’ families were granted a visit to the prison the previous day but were not told that it was in preparation for their execution, the human rights group said.

The families reportedly learned of the news when they received telephone calls from Iran’s Legal Medicine Organisation.

Both bodies were reported to have been laden with lash marks, indicating that they had been flogged before their deaths.

Amnesty International said in a statement on April 29.”The Iranian authorities have once again proved that they are sickeningly prepared to put children to death, in flagrant disregard of international law.”

International law strictly prohibits the use of capital punishment in all cases in which the accused was under 18 at the time of the crime.

Iran is a signatory of the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child, which forbids use of the death penalty. 

In 2013 changes to the penal code designed to protect minors in Iran’s criminal justice system were introduced allowing judges to use discretion in sentencing for capital punishment crimes. 

However, according to Amnesty International the changes had not been meaningfully implemented, allowing the authorities to “whitewash their continuing violations of children’s rights and deflect criticism of their appalling record as one of the world’s last executioners of juvenile offenders.”

More than 90 other juveniles remain at risk of execution. Many of them have spent prolonged periods on death row – in some cases more than decade.

Executions on political grounds

Iran has executed several people on vague charges with little transparency or due process.

At least eight prisoners convicted of “waging war on God” or “corruption on earth” has been executed in 2019.

They include Seyyed Jamal Haji Zavvareh, Maliheh Salehian, Abdullah Karmollah Chab, Ghassem Abdullah, Hamid Derakhshandeh, Behrouz Abdipour, Hossein Roshan and Mohsen Kounani.

At least 40 inmates convicted of similar charges are on death row in Iran.

Iran is also notorious for executing people for crimes that do not meet the basic international standard of limiting capital punishment to the most serious offenses.

In a recent case, the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced a supporter of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) to death.

According to the sentence, the PMOI activist Abdullah Qasempour was sentenced to death and eight years of prison on charges of “enmity with God by membership in, endorsement of and cooperation with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran”.

The Court accused 34-year-old Abdullah Qasempour of filming the incident and sending the video to media affiliated with the PMOI/MEK.

The judiciary’s long record of violating detainees’ rights and applying of the death penalty without due process have raised grave concerns.

Two prisoners Abdullah Karmollah Chab and Ghassem Abdullah, from Iran’s Ahwazi Arab minority, were executed on August 4, following months of torture during which both were forced to make false confessions.

In August Iranian authorities executed Hamidreza Derakhshandeh, a man who had killed the regime’s Friday Prayer Leader in Kazerun.

Friday Prayer leaders are mullahs who directly represent Ali Khamenei, the Iranian regime’s supreme leader, in different cities, which makes them much hated among the Iranian population who are fed up with the repression and corruption of regime officials.

Last year, Kazerun was shook by popular protests by thousands of citizens who were enraged by the regime’s policies to change the municipal divisions of the city, which would pave the way for more embezzlement by regime officials and result in lower services to the city’s inhabitants.

Popular protests across Iran regularly target Iranian regime officials, including Friday Prayer leaders, for their role in government corruption.

In comments following the killing of the regime’s Friday Prayer leader in Kazerun, Derakhsan had said, “Dear people of Iran, I love all of you, I love the poor people of Iran, those who don’t have bread to eat at night, those who have become sick of having to borrow money to make ends meet…

“I had heard and seen cases of injustice. Hundreds of these cases. There’s only so much I can do to buy and give to the poor. I saw these crimes. I’m not a criminal. This was my first time. My friends know me. I’m not a criminal.”

Targeting opponents of the death penalty

On June 18, 2019, the Revolutionary Court of Tehran examined a new case filed against Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee and Atena Daemi for their protest while in detention to the executions of three Kurdish dissidents.

The court sentenced them to 1.5 years’ imprisonment for “propaganda against the state” and to 2 years and one-month imprisonment for “insulting the leader (i.e. Ali Khamenei).”

Amir Raissian, lawyer of Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee, told the press on September 5, 2019, that the same verdict had been upheld in the revision stage without being examined by the Revision Court.

They have been sentenced to 1.5 years in prison on the charge of “propaganda against the state,” and to 2 years and 1 month for “insulting the leader (Ali Khamenei).” Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee was released from prison in April after more than three years in jail.

In September 2019, on the first anniversary of the executions of Kurdish political prisoners Zaniar Moradi, Loghman Moradi and Ramin Hossein Panahi, Atena Daemi sent an open letter out of Evin Prison emphasizing her opposition to death penalty.

In part of her letter, she referred to her new sentence, writing, “What an honor to receive another prison sentence for my opposition to death penalty and for defending humane living.”

Call for the elimination of the death penalty

On the eve of October 10 which marks the World Day against the Death Penalty, Iran Human Rights Monitor urges all international human rights organizations, especially the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, journalists and the media, to condemn horrendous executions in Iran and take immediate action to stop these medieval crimes being carried out in the twenty-first century.

We want an Iran, free of any executions.

Article first published on Iran Human Rights Monitor.