The Iranian government has fiercely condemned Bahrain’s execution of three anti-regime Shia activists, describing it as a “reckless” act, prompting social media users to point out the sanctimonious nature of the reproval.
On Sunday, Bahrain executed three activists - Sami Mushaima, Abbas Jamil Tahir al-Sami’ and Ali Abdulshahid al-Singace - over their alleged role in a 2014 bomb attack.
The killings stoked tensions between Bahrain’s Sunni rulers and its Shia majority and provoked widespread anger and condemnation from rights groups, political opponents as well as Shia power Iran.
“Through this injudicious measure, the Bahraini government once again demonstrated that it does not seek a peaceful solution to and a way out of the Bahraini crisis," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Sunday.
However, many have noted the hypocrisy of Iran’s condemnation, a country infamous for its poor human rights record. While executions are rare in Bahrain, with the last similar case involving a Shia Bahraini taking place in 1996, capital punishment is common place in Iran.
Iran's regime, which executed at least 21 people yesterday, has condemned the three executions in Bahrain.
— Maryam Nayeb Yazdi (@maryamnayebyazd) January 15, 2017
#Iran "strongly condemns" the execution of 3 people in #Bahrain Only in 2017, +20 people hanged by Iranian authorities. pic.twitter.com/bqP4yNyrH0
— Baxtiyar Goran (@BaxtiyarGoran) January 15, 2017
Iran world #1 carried out executions under the leadership orders of Wali al-Faqih and now denounces the executions of terrorist in Bahrain!!
— Dr.Saleh A Alrajhi (@DRsalrajhi) January 15, 2017
According to Amnesty International, there were 360 executions in Iran in 2011, 734 (of which 14 women and 13 juvenile) in 2014 and 694 in the first half of 2015.
Human Rights Watch recently called for the immediate halt of the execution of 12 men convicted of drug offenses, expressing concern that, despite repeated government promises, Iran has made no tangible progress in reducing its alarming execution rate.
AM
