Major report exposes state violence in Iran

US-based rights group has unveiled an interactive map detailing 45 years of state violence by Iran domestically and internationally, with records of 862 extrajudicial executions and 124 cases of death threats, attempted kidnappings, and assassinations.

Titled "Iran: State Violence Beyond Borders," the report by the Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation for Human Rights in Iran (ABC) details state violence carried out in countries across the Middle East, Europe, North America, and Africa.

The foundation noted that at least 452 cases occurred outside Iran in countries including Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, Turkey, Iraq, France, and Canada. They often involved Iranian officials, diplomats, and agents who have largely escaped accountability.

Prominent cases include multiple kidnapping plots targeting journalist Masih Alinejad, alleged assassination attempts against Donald Trump, Mike Pompeo, and John Bolton, and efforts to surveil Iranian dissidents abroad.

The map also highlights incidents and threats documented in London, including those targeting journalists Fardad Farahzad and Sima Sabet, Iranian dissident rapper Hichkas, and women’s rights activist Fariba Baluch.

The foundation said that perpetrators often evade justice due to weak responses by host governments. In some cases, suspects were allowed to flee, received early releases, or faced downgraded charges unrelated to the political nature of their crimes. Such failures, ABC warned, embolden Iranian authorities.

Last week, the US State Department, in its annual Country Reports on Terrorism (CRT), denounced Iran for orchestrating or supporting plots against dissidents and other perceived enemies abroad.