A court in Iran sentenced to death on Monday (9) three more people accused of “waging a war against God” and who would have committed crimes in protests triggered by the death of young Kurd Mahsa Amini, last year. The sentences provoked a diplomatic reaction from countries such as Germany, the USA and France, which criticized the executions and summoned ambassadors.
Analysts believe that the sentences are part of an effort made by the regime to curb new demonstrations, which have cooled down in recent months. In total, four people were executed in cases related to the wave of protests – another 17 were sentenced to death.
Saleh Mirhashemi, Majid Kazemi and Saeid Yaghoub were sentenced to hang on Monday for allegedly being involved in the killing of members of the Basij, the militia linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, in the central city of Isfahan.
In the same process, two other people were sentenced to prison. Among them is soccer player Amir Nasr-Azadani, 26, who played for a local team. All sentences announced on Monday can be appealed to the Supreme Court, according to Mizan Online, the news agency of Iran’s Judiciary Branch.
The executions in Iran have again provoked international outcry, and human rights groups are calling for pressure on Iran to prevent further executions. In response to the condemnations, Germany summoned the Iranian ambassador to Berlin. According to the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Annalena Baerbock, the act intends to make clear that the “brutal repression and oppression, as well as the latest executions in the country, will not go unpunished”.
“A regime that kills its own youth to intimidate the population has no future,” said Baerboc.
The White House and France also called for an end to the executions. In a statement, the French Foreign Ministry said the sentences “add to many other serious and unacceptable violations of fundamental rights and freedoms committed by the Iranian authorities” and cannot be a response to the “legitimate freedom aspirations of the Iranian people”. .
Pope Francis has also called for an end to capital punishment. “The right to life is also threatened in those places where the death penalty continues to be imposed, as is the case in Iran, after the recent demonstrations demanding greater respect for the dignity of women,” the pontiff said.
Despite the demonstrations of repudiation, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, signaled that the State should not soften the sentences. In a televised speech, he said that those who “set fire to public places undoubtedly committed the crime of treason”. Under Iran’s Islamic law, treason is punishable by death.
On Saturday (7), two other men were executed. Mohammad Mehdi Karami, 22, and Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini, 39, were also accused of murdering a member of the Basij.
Despite the crackdown, anti-regime protests persist in Tehran, Isfahan and several other cities — albeit on a smaller scale than last year. Videos released on social media showed people gathered on Sunday (8), in front of the prison, chanting against Khamenei – the images could not be independently verified.
According to Amnesty International, Iran is the country that executes the most prisoners, after China. In the regime’s crackdown on the acts, an Iranian general admitted in November that at least 300 people had died, including dozens of security force agents. Thousands more were arrested.
Human rights organizations headquartered outside Iran, however, report even higher numbers. According to the activist agency HRANA, at least 507 protesters were killed by the police and military, including 69 minors, in addition to 66 agents of the security forces. Regarding the arrests, there would be more than 18,500 – most of which have already been released, according to the regime.
In recent months, Iran has been the scene of protests that have spread across the country following the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the moral police. She was detained for allegedly violating the dress code for women in the country – authorities say she had pre-existing health problems, which would have caused her death, but the family maintains that the young woman was beaten in prison.
Dissatisfaction with the regime had grown even before Amini’s death, with the publication of videos showing the moral police dragging women into vans, taking them by force to re-education centers. According to the activist agency HRANA, at least 100 protesters risk being executed in Iran.
Iran’s regime claims that the demonstrations are encouraged by foreign agents, including the US, and that the crackdown is aimed at preserving national sovereignty.
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