Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Persian article.
The U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran says the consequences of the death penalty in the Islamic Republic are not limited to the person executed, as families face pressure and punishment, as well as restrictions on mourning the dead.
Mai Sato made the comment Wednesday, referring to the execution of Alireza Sepahi, a protestor who was arrested last year and remained imprisoned until his death sentence was carried out on October 5.
His family members say they were not allowed to transfer his body to Isfahan — where they are from -- for burial. He was buried in Kashan, away from his family's place of residence.
The U.N. Special Rapporteur underscored that families of those sentenced to death in Iran face measures such as the regime forces' refusal to hand over the body to the family, placing restrictions on the place of burial and mourning, depriving families of a last visit, and threats of arrest or prosecution.
In a post on X, Sato said “Losing a loved one is painful, but being unable to speak about their story, honor their life, or come together to mourn inflicts further needless suffering.”
“Withholding a body or forcing a family to bury elsewhere is a tactic to control the narrative, silence the living and supress remembrance,” Sato added.
Aside from Sepahi, the Islamic Republic's Judiciary Branch has confirmed the execution of Alireza Raeisi, two detainees of last year's protests in Isfahan. Human rights sources have expressed concern about the judicial processes in the case, including reports of torture, forced confessions, and restrictions placed on their rights to gain access to a lawyer.
A U.S. State Department spokesman told VOA on background regarding Iran's recent executions of two protesters that “We strongly condemn the Iranian regime’s use of execution as a tool of political repression. This is a regime that brutally killed thousands of peaceful protestors in January.
“For too long, the regime has subjected the Iranian people to torture, forced confessions, and sham trials, resulting in unlawful executions. Today, civilians are being used as scapegoats for the regime’s military and economic failures.”