«

It is a great error for a person to become so immersed in human laws that they neglect divine laws. Death belongs only to God and humans have no right to interfere in this unknown matter.

There is no text provided in Farsi to translate. Please provide the text so it can be translated accurately.

Victor Hugo.

As the World Day Against the Death Penalty approaches, recently the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Javaid Rehman, announced in a tweet that in August 2024 alone, at least 93 people have been executed in Iran.

“No to Execution” is a voice that is heard a lot in Iranian society these days; although for many people, this opposition is a protest against the execution of political prisoners or innocent individuals, and does not include those who commit public crimes and are executed every day. However, Saeed Madani, a sociologist, senior researcher in social sciences, university professor, and Iranian journalist, tries to show in his book “Against Execution” why we should generally oppose execution. He has examined articles and published books about retribution and the death penalty in Iran to compile this book, and has gone through various reports, including news from the families of victims and complainants, those sentenced to death and their families, executioners and prison guards, and social and cultural activists who have sought the consent of complainants to prevent the execution from being carried out.

This sociologist has always focused on the most vulnerable segments of Iranian society in his research and has examined human issues that are often overlooked by society or quickly turned away from. Sociology of addiction, sociology of prostitution, and the necessity of fighting poverty and inequality in Iran are among his influential and responsible works that have been published in Iran. In the past two decades, this sociologist has been arrested multiple times for his civil activities and has spent more than six years in prison. His experience of living with death row inmates in prison has inspired him to write this book.

Let’s continue reading excerpts from the book against execution: “The reality is that in this mental and physical journey with the death penalty, my perspective also changed from being a defender of limited use of the death penalty to an absolute opponent of this punishment. For example, while for years I had been a critic of Article 220 of the Civil Code and the exemption of fathers and grandfathers from retribution in cases of child murder, and believed that fathers and grandfathers who had killed their children deserved the death penalty, I suddenly realized that although I had always been an advocate for the rights of children and prioritized their physical and mental well-being, I could not be a defender of violating the right to life of individuals in order to achieve a society free of violence against children. Similarly, despite my participation in prevention, control, and reduction programs for addiction for years and my writings in this field, I gradually realized that executing drug traffickers is not a solution for the problems of addicted individuals

This book, which was published in 2022 by “Baran Publishing” in Sweden with an introduction by “Abdolfattah Soltani”, strengthens the voice of protest against one of the oldest and most controversial punishments in the world and seeks to pave the way for a future without violence and executions by relying on social experiences and realities.

Book Name:

Against execution.

Author: Saeed Madani Ghahfarrokh

Release Date: 2022.

Publisher: Baran Publishing.