A Tool of Suppression and Intimidation in Marginalized Regions
Reports from Iran indicate that two young brothers from Lorestan province, Hamid and Meysam Koushki, are on the verge of execution. According to human rights observers, these death sentences are not the result of a fair trial but rather a deliberate tool to create fear and intimidation, especially among people living in deprived and protesting areas of the country.
Death sentences based on confessions under torture
The two brothers, along with their elder brother, Farman Koushki, were arrested in 2020 on charges of killing a member of the Basij forces. Sources close to the family and human rights activists report that the legal proceedings against these three were fraught with serious irregularities and ambiguities, including torture and severe pressure to extract forced confessions, denial of access to a chosen lawyer, and trials lacking independence and impartiality.
According to relatives, Farman Koushki, who was executed on May 2025, in Ghezel Hesar Prison, had accepted responsibility for the killing under torture and promises from officials to save his two brothers. Now, despite the absence of sufficient evidence, Hamid Koushki’s death sentence has been officially scheduled for July 20, 2025, and the execution of Meysam Koushki is expected to follow.
A defenseless family facing the judicial system
After losing their older brother, the Koushki family now faces the real danger of losing two more sons. Lacking financial, political, or media support, they are unable to pursue effective legal avenues or mobilize broader public backing. They have neither parents nor a platform to defend their loved ones.
This immense psychological and social pressure has placed the family, living in an already marginalized area, under even greater strain.
Public protests and official media silence
In response to these death sentences, a group of residents from Tarhan and relatives of the Koushki family gathered in front of the Office of the Attorney General in Tehran on June 8–9, 2025, demanding a halt to the executions. Protesters, holding placards, stressed that these executions are not about justice but amount to a “deliberate massacre” intended to intimidate people in impoverished areas.
Nevertheless, official media outlets ignored these protests, and so far, no judicial or governmental authority has responded to the family or the demonstrators.
A call for help from the international community
Civil activists and the Koushki family have appealed to all international human rights organizations. In statements addressed to the United Nations, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, they wrote:
“We ask all human rights defenders to raise their voices and demand the immediate halt of the executions of Hamid and Meysam Koushki. These sentences have been issued based on torture and absolute injustice.”
Execution as a political instrument
Analysts believe that Iran’s government uses executions—especially in less-visible provinces like Lorestan—as a message to society: “Any protest or resistance will be met with the harshest response.”
At a time of growing public dissatisfaction over economic hardship, widespread corruption, and increased repression of dissent, these executions appear to be more political than judicial in nature: an act designed to instill fear and prevent the spread of public protests.
