October 10th marked the World Day against the Death Penalty. For citizens of countries with governments fixated with implementing this cruel and inhuman punishment, it is a reminder that despite being will into the 21st century, there is still a long way to go before leaving behind this medieval punishment for good.

Iran under the medieval mullahs is a prime example of such a mentality. By scratching the surface and getting a little deeper, for Iran’s rulers, it is not just a mere form of punishment. It is an instrument of spreading fear and intimidating among citizens.

For the mullahs in Tehran, hanging is a means to an end. It is only used to contain enraged citizens, reminding them that dissent will have dire consequences.

The Iranian regime began mass executions in the very first two years after its inception when in 1981 and 1982 it executed Iranian dissidents by thousands. Those who survived rightfully called that decade, the “Dark Era.”

Iran’s 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners is an “ongoing crime against humanity”. 31 years on, the perpetrators are in government & families of victims continue to be tormented. It’s high time for . of 30,000 political prisoners in Iran. and to hold them accountable for their crimes. https://t.co/QgnvFDu12F pic.twitter.com/n4L9WFqWlF — Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) August 24, 2019

Mrs. Rajavi emphasized that in the same period, the number of political executions has increased, remarkably.

Last June, in a criminal plot by prison authorities, a political prisoner was viciously murdered in Fashafouyeh (Greater Tehran) Prison. In July and August, three prisoners were executed in Dezful and Kazerun. And last November, Amnesty International reported the secret executions of 22 Arab compatriots.

Let’s hope that before another World Day Against Death Penalty is upon us, the mullahs’ regime is overthrown and the perpetrators of the crime against humanity are brought to justice.