Iranian authorities imprisoned and executed a man named Ali Saremi for “fighting against the sacred Islamic Republic of Iran system and launching antagonist propagations.” He was a political prisoner for allegedly being a member of the People’s Mujahedeen of Iran, which is an opposition organization that has advocated for centuries the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Ali Saremi’s body was buried by Iranian authorities over the weekend without the consent of any family members. The government did not inform Ali’s friends or family about the execution and is now refusing to allow any type of funeral service or mourning to take place.
The main thing that I have learned through my study of Iran is that there are no freedoms designated to the people. The people of Iran have no protections, no rights, and no voice in the government or their own lives. Opposition and resistance of the government is often reciprocated with exile or death. This is apparent through the study of the People’s Mujahedeen of Iran which is a resistance group advocating against the Islamic Republic compose mostly of people already exiled from Iran. This group has been recognized by the United States as a terrorist group throughout some points in history mainly due to members who are exiled from Iran and take refuge in Iraq. These members supported Iraq during the Iran/Iraq war because they do not support the Iranian government. Due to these reasons and some acts of violence, the United States has associated the group as a terrorist group. However, the European Union does not consider this group to be terrorist group. The leaders of this organization preach peaceful means of protesting and the majority of members do in fact protest peacefully against the government and seek only to free the people of Iran from the oppressive, corrupt, and violent government.
The fact that a man was put to death, not because of violent or dangerous behavior, but merely for allegedly being involved in an organization that opposes the government is absolutely heinous. Furthermore, to refuse a grieving family’s right to mourn the loss of a father is beyond justifiable. (In Islamic religion, when a person dies, the family prepares the deceased for washing, shrouding, prayer services and burial. There are many specific and extremely spiritual events associated with death and funeral services, therefore to deny an Islamic man the right to a funeral service/ mourning period is believed to be detrimental to the deceased and family members.)
The government controls all opposition to the government by imprisoning or executing its people. How can change and improvement be made in this type of political system? The people of Iran are imprisoned within their own country. There are no freedoms in Iran therefore the only way to protest against the government is to seek refuge in other countries (much like the member of the Mujahedeen.) Members of the Friends of Free Iran group stated that Saremi’s execution was “another crime for which the mullahs [Iranian government/authorities] will be held to account when freedom is finally restored to that beleaguered nation.”

Article: http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/01/02/iran.execution/index.html

Official Site of People’s Mujahedeen of Iran:

http://www.english.mojahedin.org/pagesEn/index.aspx

Additional Information: http://www.english.mojahedin.org/pagesEn/detailsNews.aspx?newsid=10922