Iran carries out first execution over anti-hijab protests

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Amnesty International has mentioned Iranian authorities are in search of the dying penalty for at the very least 21 folks in what it referred to as “sham trials designed to intimidate those participating in the popular uprising that has rocked Iran”.

Tehran,UPDATED: Dec 9, 2022 01:56 IST

People gentle a fireplace throughout a protest over the dying of Mahsa Amini, a girl who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic’s “morality police”, in Tehran, Iran September 21, 2022 (Photo: Reuters)

By Reuters: Iran hanged a person on Thursday convicted of injuring a safety guard with a knife and blocking a road in Tehran, the semi-official Tasnim information company mentioned, the primary such execution over current anti-government unrest.

Nationwide protests that erupted after the dying of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian lady Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16 characterize one of many largest challenges to the Islamic Republic since its institution in 1979.

Authorities have been cracking down on the protests and on Monday, the Revolutionary Guards inspired the judiciary to swiftly and decisively challenge judgements in opposition to these accused of “crimes against the security of the nation and Islam”.

The Tasnim information company named the executed man as Mohsen Shekari, however gave no additional particulars.

State media printed a video of what it mentioned was Shekari’s confession the place he seems with a bruise on his proper cheek. He admitted to putting a member of the Basij militia with a knife and to blocking a street along with his motorcycle alongside one in all his mates.

Rights teams have mentioned Shekari was tortured and compelled to admit.

ALSO READ | Iran reviewing decades-old necessary hijab regulation amid protests

British overseas minister James Cleverly mentioned he was “outraged” by the information of the execution. “The world cannot turn a blind eye to the abhorrent violence committed by the Iranian regime against its own people,” Cleverly mentioned on Twitter.

Outraged by the tragic information of the primary execution of a protestor in Iran.

The world can not flip a blind eye to the abhorrent violence dedicated by the Iranian regime in opposition to its personal folks.

The UK is against the dying penalty in all circumstances.
— James CleverlyðŸ‡¬ðŸ‡§ (@JamesCleverly) December 8, 2022

Germany additionally condemned the execution.

“The Iranian regime’s contempt for humanity knows no bounds,” mentioned German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. “But the threat of execution will not stifle people’s will for freedom.”

“The Iranian authorities must immediately quash all death sentences, refrain from seeking the imposition of the death penalty and drop all charges against those arrested in connection with their peaceful participation in protests,” it mentioned.

Iran has blamed the unrest on its overseas foes together with the United States.

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Judiciary spokesman Masoud Setayeshi mentioned on Tuesday that 5 folks indicted within the killing of a Basij militia member, Rouhollah Ajamian, had been sentenced to dying in a verdict that they will attraction.

Iran’s semi-official information company ISNA reported on Thursday that 5 suspected members of the Islamic State militant group have been charged with “war against God” for his or her position within the bloodbath of Shi’ite pilgrims in October, a criminal offense that’s punishable by dying.

Even earlier than the current unrest, executions had been rising in Iran. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has mentioned the quantity this yr reportedly surpassed 400 by September for the primary time in 5 years.

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Published On:

Dec 9, 2022