Six people were arbitrarily arrested in down of Flight 752 by the Revolutionary August and tried on spurious national Guards, which killed 176 people, and security charges in October solely for meeting harassed, arbitrarily detained, tortured or to discuss possible legal action over the otherwise ill-treated bereaved relatives for authorities’ failure to ensure access to seeking justice. In November, the Covid-19 vaccines. prosecution of 10 low-ranking officials before DEATH PENALTY a military court in Tehran started behind closed doors amid grievances by victims’ The death penalty was imposed after unfair relatives about the impunity afforded to top trials, including for offences not meeting the military and executive officials. threshold of the “most serious crimes” such as drug-trafficking and financial corruption, 1. “Iran: Ebrahim Raisi must be investigated for crimes against and for acts not internationally recognized as humanity”, 19 June crimes. Death sentences were used as a 2. Iran: Rights Groups: Iranian Dissidents Remain at Risk Worldwide weapon of repression against protesters, Without International Action (Index: MDE 13/4480/2021), 19 July dissidents and ethnic minorities. 3. “Iran: Security forces use live ammunition and birdshot to crush Yousef Mehrdad and Saadollah Fazeli in Khuzestan protests”, 23 July; “Iran: Security forces use ruthless force, Arak were sentenced to death for “insulting mass arrests and torture to crush peaceful protests”, 11 August 4. “Iran: Leaked video footage from Evin prison offers rare glimpse of the Prophet”. Sajad Sanjari, arrested when aged 15, and cruelty against prisoners”, 25 August Arman Abdolali, arrested when aged 17, 5. “Iran: A decade of deaths in custody unpunished amid systemic were executed in August and November, impunity for torture”, 15 September respectively. Over 80 people remained on 6. Iran: Murder of 20-year-old Gay Man Highlights Urgent Need to death row for offences that occurred when Protect LGBTI Rights (Index: MDE 13/4129/2021), 17 May they were children. 7. Iran: Four Ahwazi Arab men secretly executed (Index: MDE 13/3864/2021), 18 March IMPUNITY 8. “Iran: Unlawful killings of destitute fuel porters must be The authorities continued to cover up the independently investigated”, 2 March number of those killed during November 9. Iran: Joint Statement: Urgent International Action Needed to Secure Release of Kurdish Activists and Others Arbitrarily Detained in Iran 2019 protests, dismissed complaints by (Index: MDE 13/3624/2021), 3 February victims’ families, and praised security forces 10. “Iran: Stop destruction of mass grave site and allow dignified burials for the crackdown. Throughout the year, of persecuted Baha’is”, 29 April security forces dispersed peaceful gatherings of relatives seeking justice and beat and temporarily detained them. Manouchehr IRAQ Bakhtiari, the father of a killed protester, was detained in April and sentenced to Republic of Iraq imprisonment in July for denouncing Head of state: Barham Ahmed Salih impunity. Head of government: Mustafa Al-Kadhimi The trial of Hamid Nouri, arrested in Sweden for alleged involvement in prison State-affiliated armed actors targeted, massacres in 1988, began in August under threatened, abducted and extrajudicially the principle of universal jurisdiction. executed dissidents and activists as well as Consistent with long-standing patterns of their families, leading survivors to flee into denial and distortion, Iran’s foreign affairs hiding. Iraqi authorities arrested and ministry described the trial as a “plot” prosecuted individuals for some of these concocted by “terrorists” that relied on “fake attacks, but tens of people remained documentation and witnesses”. disappeared. The Kurdistan Regional The authorities continued to conceal the Government (KRG) cracked down on dissent truth surrounding the January 2020 shooting and sentenced activists and journalists Amnesty International Report 2021/22 201