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Iran Executes Protesters After Bogus Trials

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On May 19, 2023, Iran executed three protesters following their convictions for the vague offense of Moharabeh, meaning, “enmity against God”, after trials that are said to have violated due process and the right to a fair trial. Among the raised issues were concerns in relation to due process violations, significant procedural flaws, lack of evidence, and torture allegations that were never investigated. Reportedly, the executed men were tortured to make confessions for offenses they had not committed. These concerns were not addressed before the men were executed. Reportedly, at least 259 executions have been carried out since January 2023. The true numbers are expected to be much higher.

The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran indicated that the executions of the three men, Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi and Saeed Yaghoubi, were “profoundly concerning in view of the reported involvement of these individuals in the protests that commenced in Iran on 16 September 2022, and allegations of their having been convicted and sentenced through confessions obtained under torture.” The body, which is mandated to investigate all alleged human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran related to the protests that began on September 16, 2022, especially with respect to women and children, had previously asked Iranian authorities for information in relation to the imposition of the death penalty.

According to reports, the three men were arrested on November 21, 2022, during protests in Esfahan city following the uprising sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022, in police custody. As the U.N. indicated, “the men were accused of participating in the killing of three Iranian officials, and sentenced to death after being charged with were sentenced to death and charged with Moharebeh (which translates as “enmity against God”).” The men were put on trial in December 2022 and January 2023 and sentenced to death on the vaguely worded and overly broad charge of Moharebeh.  The three men appealed the verdict on May 6, 2023, but Iran’s Supreme Court upheld their death sentences, despite a pending request for judicial review. On May 10, the authorities announced that their convictions and sentences had been upheld by the Supreme Court despite due process violations, significant procedural flaws, lack of evidence, and torture allegations that were never investigated.

As reported by Amnesty International according to informed sources, the authorities had told the men’s families on several occasions before the Supreme Court’s decision that they would be pardoned and released due to lack of evidence. However, on May 17, 2023, their families were called in to visit and were told by the prison authorities that this would be the final meeting.

In a separate statement, three U.N. Special Rapporteurs, Javaid Rehman, Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran; Margaret Satterthwaite, the expert on independence of judges and lawyers; and Morris Tidball-Binz, the expert on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, condemned the executions of the three men, urging the Government to “halt the appalling wave of executions in Iran.” As they emphasized, “at least 259 executions have reportedly been carried out since January – mostly for drug-related offenses and including a disproportionate number of minorities. The exact number of executions is unknown due to a lack of Government transparency, and the figure is likely to be higher.”

Recent months have seen a new wave of atrocities perpetrated by the Iranian authorities against the people of Iran, especially in response to protests. Those arrested face a litany of challenges that prevent them from seeing any justice. As the Law Society of England and Wales raised, “There is ample evidence the regime is not upholding fair trial guarantees for people who are prosecuted. (...) Protestors’ own lawyers are denied access to the courtroom. Protestors’ confessions have been obtained by coercion and torture and used as evidence against them. (...) Trials have been brief and held behind closed doors.”

The International community must stand up for the rights of Iranians who are targeted because of their opposition to the human rights violations of the regime.

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