Iran executes first person sentenced to death for participating in protests

Iran has announced that it has executed this Thursday the first detainee officially sentenced to death for an alleged crime derived from the protests that have been organized in the country since the death in police custody on September 16 of the young Mahsa Amini, arrested for wearing improperly the veil.

The prisoner, who the semi-official Tasnim news agency has identified as Mohsen Shekari without elaborating, has been convicted of "intentionally" stabbing a member of the Basij paramilitary force in the back and blocking Sattar Khan boulevard in the capital, Tehran, on past September 25.

The Iranian authorities have rejected the appeal of the prisoner's lawyer, determining that it is "not valid or justified", since they consider that he is guilty of "war crimes" by blocking the street, threatening with weapons and confronting the agents.

The Supreme Court of Iran, which describes the protester's actions as an "example of hypocrisy", approved the sentence on Thursday morning and immediately executed the ruling.

The magistrates rely on alleged statements from witnesses to the incident, who would have ensured that the people present were very scared by the presence of the armed protester.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of the NGO Iran Human Rights, has warned this Thursday that "daily executions of protesters" will take place unless the Iranian authorities have to face "quick practical consequences at the international level", as he has pointed out. in a message posted on the social network Twitter.

Execution of #MohsenShekari must be me with STRONG reactions otherwise we will be facing daily executions of protesters.

This execution must have rapid practical consequences internationally #StopExecutionsInIran #IranProtests2022

— Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam (@iranhr) December 8, 2022

Iranian authorities announced earlier this week that five people had been sentenced to death for their involvement in the death of Basij militia member Rouhollah Ajamian, in a verdict that is still open to appeal.

The spokesman for the Department of Justice of Iran, Masoud Setayeshi, explained that 11 other people, including three minors, had been sentenced for the same crime to "long terms" of prison, according to the ISNA agency.

The Revolutionary Guard reacted to this announcement by praising the firm stance of the judiciary, encouraging it to issue swift and decisive sentences for those accused of "crimes against the security of the nation and Islam."

According to Amnesty International, at least 21 other people, including a woman, face charges that could land them on the gallows.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has indicated that the number of people executed in the country exceeded 400 in September for the first time in five years.

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