Iran Human Rights wishes you a happy new year- With hope for a better Iran in 2010

Iranian authorities didn’t event inform her family or lawyer about the execution. They also hanged another well-known minor offender, Behnoud Shojaee. Iran Human Rights had followed Behnoud to the gallows five times earlier, and hoped that his scheduled execution in October 2009 would be postponed once again. But despite international pressure, and gathering of several hundred people all the night outside the Evin prison, Behnoud was hanged by the Iranian regime. The Iranian authorities broke once again their own record of brutality.

But we will also remember 2009 as a turning point for the Iranian people’s fight for democracy and human rights. We all remember millions of Iranians marching the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities in June 2009. Many were shot dead, many were thrown into the jails, tortured and allegedly raped. But the Iranian regime didn’t manage to shut them down.

Last week’s demonstrations in several Iranian cities reminded the Iranian regime that they can not any longer hold a whole nation down with execution, torture, suppression and terror. In the beginning of 2009, nobody would imagine that this year would end the way it did.

May be the most symbolic event of the year took place this December in Sirjan, when people risked their lives and rescued two men from the gallows and didn’t let the authorities go ahead with the scheduled public hanging. The message to the Iranian regime was clear: "We have had enough of terror, suppression and humiliation. We don’t want a barbaric regime and we are willing to pay the price!".

We enter 2010 with hope. Hope for an Iran where the human rights are respected, and without death penalty. This is not a remote dream anymore!