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This Friday, Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi and Saeed Yaghoubi were hanged after being sentenced to death in Iran. The three men had been in prison since November 2022 for participating in protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who died in police custody for not wearing the hijab correctly. With his capital punishment, the number of those hanged for participating in the protests rises to seven.
As the sun rose in Isfahan on Friday, Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi and Saeed Yaghoubi watched their lives come to an end. These three Iranians, who were in their thirties, were arrested in a demonstration against the government in November 2022 and their final sentence was the death penalty for “moharebeh” -or enmity with God-, increasing to seven the number of protesters hanged since the beginning of the protests in Iran over the death of Masha Amini late last year.
In an official statement, the Iranian authorities claimed that the defendants had “martyred” – murdered – two members of the Basij paramilitary force and a policeman on November 16. However, the versions of defense organizations of the DD. H H. Like Amnesty International, they are very different: they claim that they are innocent and that they were forced to confess to a crime that they had not commented on through methods of torture.
“The shocking speed with which the Iranian judicial system has pursued the trial and sentencing of these protesters—against a backdrop of torture-marred “confessions,” serious procedural flaws, and a lack of evidence—is yet another example of Iran’s blatant disregard. the Iranian authorities for the right to life and a fair trial,” said Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
Majid Kazemi, Saeed Yaghoubi and Saleh Mirhashemi 💔
Families and loved ones of those executed in Iran have a right to truth and justice. pic.twitter.com/73MYSCSSLL
— Amnesty International (@amnesty) May 19, 2023
In a telephone conversation spread by social networksMajid Kazemi claimed that he had been forced to make a false confession after beating him, giving him electric shocks, sham hanging and threatening to kill his brother.
“I swear to God that I am innocent. He wasn’t carrying any weapons. The security forces did not stop beating me and ordering me to say that this weapon is mine. (…) I told them that I would say what they wanted, but please leave my family alone. I did what they wanted because of the torture,” is heard in the audio.
In anticipation of their imminent execution, the three men sentenced to death released a note on Wednesday in which they asked: “Don’t let them kill us (…) We need your help.”
A call that worked, with requests from activists and DD groups. H H. and even small nightly protests in front of the Isfahan prison to try to stop the executions. Even the United States, through State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel, called on Iran not to execute the three men, telling reporters on Thursday that their execution would be an affront to human rights. Although, ultimately, none of these attempts were successful.
“The use of the death penalty against these men is a flagrant act of revenge against a courageous generation of protesters for tenaciously demanding the rights of the Iranian people over the past seven months,” Eltahawy said.
Meanwhile, and despite allegations of “significant procedural deficiencies, lack of evidence and allegations of torture” in this case, Iran has repeatedly denied all the allegations.
Wave of executions in Iran and international action
She was walking through the streets of Tehran when she was arrested by the morality police, allegedly for not wearing the hijab correctly. Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, ended up dying in police custody on September 16, sparking the ire of the entire country.
Something that unleashed nationwide protests that became one of the largest riots and demonstrations of rejection of Islamic clerical leaders since the 1979 revolution. Since then, at least seven protesters have been convicted and executed with death sentences.
Iran is the top death penalty country in the world, but 2022 was especially deadly. In 2021, 314 capital punishments were carried out, while in 2022 that number increased to 576 executions.
Although the protests were not the only reason why they used this method that threatens DD. HH., organizations also warn of an increase in death sentences for members of ethnic minorities in the country, such as Kurds or Baluchis.
According to the organization Iran Human RightsOnly so far in 2023, the Persian country has already executed 264 people. For them, the only way to put an end to these deaths, to the deficiency and politicization of the sentences is through international condemnation.
“The execution of the protesters Saleh Mirhashemi, Majid Kazemi and Saeed Yaghoubi must have serious consequences for the Iranian regime! Otherwise, more than 100 protesters will be in danger. In January, due to strong international reactions, the Islamic Republic was unable to continue with the executions of the arrested protesters,” said Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Iran Human Rights.
Since the start of the protests, some world powers such as the United States or the European Union have condemned police abuse in the Middle Eastern country. This Friday, the EU reaffirmed its position with the condemnation of the last three executions and the “immediate” demand for the end of death sentences.
Currently, about 100 people are awaiting sentencing and could face the death penalty in Iran, some for reasons such as blasphemy.
With Reuters, EFE and local media
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