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Several Iranians, sentenced to death for their involvement in protests in the Islamic Republic, may face imminent execution despite international outrage sparked by the first execution a few days ago, human rights groups warned on Sunday.
A wave of protests has shaken Iran since the death on September 16 of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who died after being detained by the morality police for not wearing the veil correctly. At least 458 people have died in the repression of the demonstrations, according to the latest balance of the NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR), based in Norway, and at least 14,000 were arrested, according to the UN.
Mohsen Shekari, a 23-year-old man found guilty of attacking and wounding a paramilitary, was executed on Thursday, after a trial that several human rights groups called a “sham”. Another ten people were sentenced to death for their participation in the demonstrations, which the authorities describe as “riots”, reported the Iranian judicial authority.
According to the NGO Amnesty International, Iran is “preparing to execute” Mahan Sadrat, 22, after a quick and “extremely unfair” trial during which he was found guilty of having drawn a knife in protests, accusations that he denied before the court.
– “Stronger” reaction –
Sentenced to death on November 3, he was transferred on Saturday to Karaj’s Rajai Shahr prison near Tehran, “causing fears of imminent execution,” the UK-based NGO warned. According to IHR, this sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court, which means that it can be carried out. “Like the other death row inmates, he was denied any access to his lawyer” throughout the process.
Amnesty International also warned that the life of another young man, Sahand Nurmohammadzadeh, was in danger following his death sentence on 6 November for “knocking down motorway guardrails and burning rubbish and tyres”. Amnesty and IHR also cited the case of Hamid Gharehasanlu, a doctor on death row, who they say was tortured in his detention and whose wife was forced to testify against him.
For IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the international response has to be “stronger than ever” to prevent these executions. Several Western countries, as well as the European Union and the UN, condemned the execution of Mohsen Shekari. Canada and the United Kingdom have imposed sanctions on senior Iranian officials. But human rights activists and NGOs want governments to take a stronger response, going as far as breaking diplomatic relations with Iran or expelling Iranian special envoys from Western countries.
Iran is the country that carries out the most death sentences, only behind China, according to Amnesty International. More than 500 people were executed in 2022, according to IHR. In early December, the Supreme National Security Council stated that “more than 200 people”, including civilians and security forces, had been killed in Iran since September 16. A general of the Guardians of the Revolution reported more than 300 deaths.
