On December 25, 2024, Saeed Masouri, a political prisoner in Iran who has been incarcerated for over 25 years without a single day of furlough, wrote an open letter to the international community. The letter, addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, and UN Special Rapporteur on Iran Mai Sato, highlights the alarming rate of executions in Iran and urges immediate action to halt these killings.
Masouri’s letter, written from prison on Christmas Day, coincided with reports of nearly 25 executions carried out in Iran on December 25 alone—an average of one execution every 2.5 hours. Reflecting on his long imprisonment and the systemic violence he has witnessed, Masouri calls for decisive measures to pressure Iranian authorities to cease their escalating use of the death penalty.
Masouri describes his personal suffering and the trauma of witnessing the executions of fellow inmates, many of whom were his close friends and cellmates. He writes about the psychological toll of hearing the cries of families and recounts the heart-wrenching moment a six-year-old girl drew a picture of her father’s execution scene outside the notorious Gohardasht Prison.
He notes that the rate of executions in Iran has escalated dramatically, with an average of one execution every four hours during recent weeks. The Christmas period alone saw nearly 25 individuals put to death, underscoring the systematic and relentless nature of the Iranian regime’s use of capital punishment.
Masouri’s appeal focuses on the role of the international community in combating Iran’s execution practices. While acknowledging the efforts of the Iranian people, he argues that global institutions and influential figures must adopt stronger measures beyond mere condemnations.
The full text of Saeed Masouri’s letter
December 25, 2024
A Bloody Christmas with Nearly 25 Executions on December 25
This is the 25th December (and Christmas) I have spent in prison. I don’t know what more these eyes must witness, or how much more this heart must endure. From the time I was sentenced to death and kept in solitary confinement, when every meeting felt like the last, and every sound of a door opening or closing echoed like the chime of a death knell, I have carried this unbearable weight. Even after 25 years, I still experience the psychological reflex of dread with every sound resembling a door’s clank.
I have felt the pain of losing cellmates and friends to executions—those who were taken away never to return: Hojjat Zamani, Majid Kavousi, Farzad Kamangar, Ali Saremi, Abdolreza Rajabi, Afshin Osanloo, Mansour Radpour, Shahrokh Zamani, Loghman and Zaniar Moradi, Ali Heydarian, and so many others. I have shared cells with loved ones who were eventually executed, such as Mohsen Dokmehchi, Jafar Kazemi, Mohammad Aghaei, Gholamreza Khosravi, Hamed Ahmadi, Shahram Ahmadi, Ghasem Abesteh, Asou, Ayoob, Farhad Salimi, Anvar, Khosro, Mohsen Shekari, and Mohammad Ghobadlou.
I still hear the cries and wails of their grieving families. To this day, I don’t know how I managed to endure the sight of a six-year-old girl named Mahna drawing a picture of herself and her mother standing next to her father at the gallows in front of Gohardasht Prison. She had drawn it while waiting for her last visit with her father before his body was returned to her. The memory of her anticipation to kiss her father’s face one final time haunts me, and I still don’t understand how my heart hasn’t stopped beating from the overwhelming pain of such memories.
Perhaps, after 25 years, I have become so deeply submerged in the atrocities of this murderous regime that what I’ve witnessed now feels like only a drop in the ocean of their crimes. In the past, executions occurred every few weeks or months. Now, on average, we witness an execution every four hours. Just during this Christmas period alone, nearly 25 innocent people were executed—that’s almost one execution every 2.5 hours.
This time, I am not writing to the people of my homeland, who are already doing everything within their power. Instead, I address this letter to all awake consciences within international human rights organizations, particularly the UN Human Rights Council, the Office of the High Commissioner, the UN special rapporteurs—especially Ms. Mai Sato—and all influential figures. I write to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola,
I earnestly plead with you to go beyond expressing concern or condemning these executions. Take decisive and serious action to prevent them. These numbers are not mere statistics—they are human lives being extinguished daily. At the very least, compel this “government of executions” to adhere to basic human rights standards by conditioning diplomatic and political relations on the cessation of this killing machine. Diplomatic efforts must aim to halt these atrocities—if necessary, by referring Iran’s human rights violations to the UN Security Council.
Every hour and day of delay results in more lives lost, as the blood of Iranian people continues to be spilled. If more effective action had been taken earlier, perhaps even Italian journalist Cecilia Sala would not have fallen victim to Iran’s hostage-taking policies—especially during the Christmas season.
Recipients:
- António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations
- Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
- Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament
- Mai Sato, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran
Saeed Masouri
Political prisoner and member of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” Campaign
Background on Saeed Masouri
Masouri, a member of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, has been in prison since 1999, making him one of the longest-serving political prisoners in Iran. Despite his prolonged incarceration and mistreatment, he remains an outspoken advocate for human rights and justice.
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