At the 106th Congress of Mayors in Paris, held on November 19-21, 2024, 580 French mayors, including Michaël Delafosse (Montpellier), Martine Aubry (Lille), and Jean-Michel Baylet (Valence d’Agen), signed a resounding appeal to end executions in Iran. This initiative, led by the French Mayors’ Committee for a Democratic Iran (CMFID) alongside the Committee to Support Human Rights in Iran (CSDHI), highlighted the alarming surge in executions under Iran’s current administration.
Drawing on Amnesty International data, the statement revealed that Iran accounted for 74% of all documented global executions in 2023. This troubling pattern intensified with the presidency of Massoud Pezeshkian, during whose first three months 386 individuals were executed—exceeding annual figures from prior years. Among the victims was Reza Rasaei, a political dissident detained during the November 2022 protests in Shahriar, Tehran Province.
The mayors noted that Iran holds the dismal distinction of leading in both political executions and per capita killings globally. They condemned these acts as instruments of terror wielded under religious pretexts to stifle dissent. The statement emphasized the political nature of such executions and urged greater international resolve to counter Iran’s systemic oppression.
The mayors also voiced their support for Maryam Rajavi’s plan to abolish capital punishment, a key element of her vision for a democratic Iran. They stressed that the regime’s execution spree reflects a strategy to intimidate the populace and thwart uprisings. “Every execution under this regime is inherently political,” the statement declared, urging decisive global action against such abuses.
The UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, in its March 2024 report, classified the regime’s actions—including executions, torture, and sexual violence—as crimes against humanity. Additionally, UN Special Rapporteur Javaid Rehman deemed the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners a genocide, exposing Iran’s deep-rooted human rights violations.
Inside Iran, political prisoners across 20 facilities have launched the “No to Executions” movement, holding hunger strikes weekly since early 2024. Internationally, this campaign has gained momentum, uniting civil society and political leaders in its cause.
The mayors linked their appeal to broader protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death in September 2022, which galvanized resistance, particularly among women, against state repression. Their collective message underscores an urgent call for accountability and support for the Iranian people’s fight for justice and democracy.
Over 580 French Mayors Condemn Iran’s Executions and Back Call to Abolish the Death Penalty
