ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran on Thursday carried out the first execution over the nationwide protests which have engulfed the country for almost three months, hanging a man convicted of injuring a Basij officer.
According to the judiciary’s Mizan Online website, Mohsen Shekari, described as a “rioter” was arrested in Tehran on September 25 for reportedly wounding an officer of the Basij, the militia of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “with a machete.”
Mizan claimed that Shekari had attacked the officer in the shoulder, causing a wound that required 13 stitches, and was then arrested by security forces. The Tehran Revolutionary Court found him guilty of “pulling a weapon with intent to kill and creating terror and depriving people of freedom and security.”
Shekari was convicted by the supreme court of “moharebeh” a term which means “waging war against God” under Islamic Sharia law. Rights watchdogs have labeled the trials as being as a “sham.”
Protests spread throughout the country in the aftermath of the death of 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 the Basij.
At least 475 protesters have been killed since protests broke out, including 65 children, according to the latest tally by US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). Thousands of others have been arrested for participating in protests.
Eleven death sentences have been issued by an Iranian court over the protests, the majority being related to the targeting of Basiji members. HRANA reported that 61 members of the security forces have been killed since the protests began.
Iranian authorities accuse whom they refer to as “rioters” of inciting chaos in the country. Iran has accused the protests of being incited of the US, Saudi Arabia, and Israel.
In December 2018, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on Iran to end human rights violations against minority religions, citing "harassment, intimidation, persecution, arbitrary arrests and detention" among other breaches.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment