Iranian justice has sentenced three more anti-government protesters to death on charges of “waging war against God”, its Mizan news agency reported on Monday, defying growing international criticism of a fierce crackdown on demonstrators.
Iran hanged two more people on Saturday in efforts to quell demonstrations that have slowed significantly since the country began executions just weeks after the arrests.
Mizan said Saleh Mirhashemi, Majid Kazemi and Saeed Yaghubi, who were convicted of allegedly killing members of the Basij volunteer militia during anti-government protests in the central city of Isfahan, could appeal their sentences.
Basij forces, linked to the elite Revolutionary Guards, were at the forefront of the state’s crackdown on unrest sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in custody by Iran’s morality police on September 16.
Papal criticism
Pope Francis on Monday condemned Iran for using the death penalty against demonstrators.
“The right to life is also threatened in those places where the death penalty continues to be imposed, as is the case these days in Iran, following the recent demonstrations demanding greater respect for the dignity of women,” Francis said.
One of the boldest challenges to clerical leaders since the 1979 revolution, the protests have drawn support from Iranians in all walks of life and challenged the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic, calling for the fall of its rulers.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei signaled on Monday that the country had no intention of softening its stance, saying in a televised speech that those who “set fire to public places have undoubtedly committed treason”. According to Iran’s Islamic law, treason is punishable by death.
Human rights activists see the executions, arrests and harsh sentencing of protesters by the clergy as an attempt to intimidate demonstrators and instill enough fear in the population to end the unrest.
Despite a redoubled crackdown by the authorities, small-scale protests continued in Tehran, Isfahan and several other cities.
“filthy processes”
At least four people have been hanged since the demonstrations began, according to the judiciary, including two protesters on Saturday for allegedly killing a Basij member.
Women hold signs depicting Mahsa Amini, 22, during a demonstration outside the United Nations offices in Arbil, in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region, September 24, 2022. (Safin Hamed/AFP/Getty Images)
Amnesty International said last month that Iranian authorities were seeking the death penalty for at least 26 others in what it called “sham trials designed to intimidate protesters”.
Human rights activists said on social media that two other protesters, 22-year-old Mohammad Ghobadlu and 18-year-old Mohammad Borwani, were moved to solitary confinement before their execution at Rajai Shahr prison in the city of Karaj.
Videos on social media, which could not be verified by Reuters, showed people gathered outside the prison late on Sunday chanting anti-Khamenei slogans.
The European Union, the United States and other Western countries have condemned Iran for using the death penalty against demonstrators.
“The Iranian regime must be held accountable for its brutal repression of courageous Iranian voices,” Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Jolie tweeted.
“In response, Canada is imposing sanctions on 2 Iranian individuals and 3 Iranian entities complicit in these activities.
Details: https://t.co/0rsRVuvXWu
—@melaniejoly
On Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned Iran for using the death penalty against demonstrators, and his spokesman said Berlin wanted to step up pressure on Iranian authorities with new international measures.
“With the executions, the Iranian regime is using the death penalty as a means of repression,” Scholz wrote on Twitter. “It’s terrifying.”
A German government spokesman told a news conference that Iran must see that there will be a price to pay for continuing the executions.
“Together with our international partners, we will further increase the pressure on the Iranian regime,” the spokesman said.
The Islamic Republic, which has blamed the unrest on its external enemies, including the United States, sees the crackdown on protests as preserving national sovereignty.
Add Comment