An execution order has been issued in eight instances, with two juveniles included in the remaining 22 cases currently under judicial review.
At a minimum, 30 individuals inIranare being subjected to the death penalty in relation to the recent large-scale demonstrations within the nation, as reported by thehuman rights group Amnesty International.
The organization stated on Friday that a death sentence has already been issued in eight cases.
Out of the 22 additional cases currently before the courts, two individuals are still under the age of majority, Amnesty added. The Iranian judicial system has not officially verified any of the death sentences.
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Nevertheless, a week prior, the Misan news agency, affiliated with the government, covered a trial where three individuals might be sentenced to death for their involvement in riots.
Amnesty claims that the Iranian authorities are employing the death penalty to silence opposition.
“The Iranian authorities are once more revealing their profound indifference towards the right to life and justice by threatening swift executions and handing down death sentences in accelerated trials, just weeks after arrests,” said Diana Eltahawy, deputy regional director for the Middle East.
“By using the death penalty as a tool, they aim to create fear and suppress the resolve of a population calling for significant reforms,” she added.
In mid-January, the Iranian judicial system stated that it had begun the initial charges. Cases involving “rioting” that were especially severe would be handled separately and given priority.
The head of Iran’s judiciary has called for punishment against those responsible for the deaths of security personnel and police officers during the demonstrations.
Early in January, Iran’s security forces violently suppressed widespread demonstrations across the nation.
As reported by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), over 7,000 individuals lost their lives, with more than 200 members of the security forces among the deceased. Approximately 53,500 people were also detained.
The latest protests, which began due to the significant economic crisis, were the most severe in recent years.
In 2022 and the subsequent months, large groups of individuals marched through the streets with the motto “Woman, Life, Freedom”. The judicial system later carried out the execution of at least 12 individuals linked to these demonstrations.
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This piece was first published in the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), a top news outlet covering China and Asia.
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