Iran
A general view shows the Iranian capital Tehran on January 7, 2023, with the Iranian flag fluttering in the wind. Photo: Atta Kenare/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States slammed Iran on Saturday for the latest executions in connection with protests in the country, saying the questionable trials behind the death sentences are a central part of the regime’s efforts to crush protests.
“We condemn Iran’s sham trials & execution of Mohammad Mehdi Karami & Mohammed Hosseini in the strongest terms. These executions are a key component of the regime’s effort to suppress protests,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Twitter.
Iran on Saturday executed Karami and Hosseini, claiming that they were behind the killing of a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Basij paramilitary force.
The executions of Karami and Hosseini follow that of Majidreza Rahnavard, who was publicly hanged on December 12, also for allegedly killing two members of the Basij.
Two more Iranian protestors, Mohammad Mehdi Karami (age 22) and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini (age 39) were executed today after sham trials and tortured confessions. “These men weren’t executed after a judicial process, they were lynched.” @hadighaemi of @ICHRI https://t.co/NzU9tF3k8A pic.twitter.com/2xc4pdumsr
— Karim Sadjadpour (@ksadjadpour) January 7, 2023
“We continue to work with partners to pursue accountability for Iran’s brutal crackdown,” Price added, with pro-regime senior officials in Iran, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, repeatedly blaming the US, European Union, and arch-enemy Israel for collaboration with the protestors.
Washington’s condemnations follow those of the EU, who earlier on Saturday said was “appalled” by the latest Iranian executions which raised the tally of protestors executed in the Islamic republic to four.
Roberta Metsola, the president of the EU parliament, urged for “a stronger European and global reaction to the regime in Iran.”
“A regime that executes citizens who demand respect for women, life, and liberty … A regime that the world must hold accountable,” Metsola tweeted on Saturday.
The US special envoy to Iran, Robert Malley, said he was appalled by the executions and affirmed that he, as well as others across the globe, “will continue to hold Iran’s leadership accountable.”
Iranian opposition Telegram channels published videos in the cities of Tehran, Arak, and Karaj – where the executions were carried out – of people taking to the streets to protest the executions after the news broke out.
Canada's foreign minister also condemned the executions.
Iran on December 8 carried out the first official protest-linked execution, hanging 23-year-old Mohsen Shekari after being similarly accused of wounding a member of the Basij.#MohammadMehdiKarami & #MohammadHosseini - two more lives lost to senseless executions from the Iranian regime. The regime must put an end to such brutal and inhumane sentences.
— Mélanie Joly (@melaniejoly) January 7, 2023
We stand with Iranians who have a right to their human rights.
Protests spread across the Islamic republic in the aftermath of the death of young Kurdish woman Zhina (Mahsa) Amini at the hands of the morality police on September 16, sparking a violent crackdown by Iranian security forces, particularly the IRGC and its paramilitary Basij.
At least 517 protesters, including 70 children, have been killed and over 19,000 have been arrested since the protests began almost four months ago, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) on Saturday.
The protests, which authorities describe as “riots,” are perhaps the biggest challenge the regime in Iran is facing since its establishment in 1979. Iran is one of the world’s top executioners and is using this method as an attempt to quell the protests.
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