The Iranian judiciary confirmed the death penalty for three men accused of participating in massive anti-government protests last November, sparking a protest by human rights groups and a wave of activism against capital punishment in social networks.
An Iranian judiciary spokesman said on an official website on Tuesday that an appeal against the sentences had failed for the trio, who said their confessions were “extracted under aberrant conditions,” according to their lawyers. Lawyers say they have been denied access to the case.
The three men, Saeed Tamjidi, 26, Mohammad Rajabi, 28, and Amirhossein Moradi, 26, were arrested during one of the largest protests in the history of the Islamic Republic, sparked by a triple increase in prices. of gasoline in the midst of an economy in crisis suffocated by Sanctions of the United States. Human rights groups have estimated that at least 300 protesters were killed in the protests and more than 7,000 were arrested.
Rajabi and Tamjidi sought asylum in Turkey after they were initially released, according to activists, but were deported in late December after spending a few weeks in a refugee camp. After a closed trial in January, they were convicted of crimes such as sabotage, armed robbery, and illegally fleeing the country.
Human rights groups say the three reported being beaten or tortured while in detention, including with electric shocks and hanging upside down for long periods.
The confirmation that his death sentences had been confirmed on Tuesday sparked a wave of online protests, including from prominent Iranian social media influencers, actors, filmmakers, reformist politicians and athletes, who published the names of the men or the hashtag. “Do not run” in Farsi.
They included Hossein Mahini, a player for the national soccer team, and former Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi, who warned the country’s rulers not to be stubborn in the face of a public outcry.
“An important part of this system, in case of protests, believes that the measures should be tightened so that [protesters] don’t be cheeky, ”wrote Abtahi. “I have written many times that the system has no chance of being stubborn.”
In tweets in English and Farsi, Donald Trump also criticized the sentences on Thursday, a day after the US federal government carried out his first execution in 17 years, in line with his administration’s policy of resuming the capital punishment.
Donald J. Trump
(@realDonaldTrump)Three people were sentenced to death in Iran for participating in protests. Execution is momentarily expected. Executing these three people sends a terrible signal to the world and it must not be done! #StopExecutionsInIran
July 15, 2020
Internet monitoring organization Net Blocks reported significant outages in parts of the country at night as the hashtag started trending on social media platforms. The Iranian government is increasingly accelerating and blocking Internet access in response to widespread dissent or calls for demonstrations.
Lawyers for the trio say they are urgently calling for a judicial review, fearing the men could be imminently executed. “We have repeatedly stated that we have not been allowed to defend [our clients] and that they have no information about their trials, “the lawyers said in an open letter posted online.
Iran executed some 251 people last year, according to Amnesty International, the second highest in the world after China. He has issued a series of death sentences in recent weeks, including to opposition journalist Ruhollah Zam, and in recent days has executed one man for repeatedly drinking alcohol and another who was convicted of spying for the CIA.
Additional reports from Akhtar Mohammad Makoii
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