The execution of a 22-year-old woman for committing a crime against national security, war and corruption against Iran: Implications for the anti-government protests
The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, a woman who was arrested by state’s morality police for not wearing her hijab properly, sparked a nationwide protest, which resulted in the death of several Iranians.
They were convicted of colluding to commit a crime against national security, war and corruption on Earth, as well as disturbing public order and peace, community and colluding to commit a crime.
Five people who took part in the demonstrations received jail sentences of between five and 10 years for conspiracy to commit a crime against national security.
IRNA said that these decisions can be appealed. The news agency did not name the protester who received the death sentence or provide details on when or where they committed the alleged crime.
Leading public figures in Iran came out in support of the movement after her death. A number of grievances with the authoritarian regime have coalesced into the protests.
That figure includes 43 children and 25 women, the group said in an update to its death toll on Saturday, saying that its published number represented an “absolute minimum.”
CNN has verified that at least 43 detainees are facing execution. There are statements from both Iran and Iranian media in which the names of the accused are mentioned, and it appears as though there is a real number of around 100. Many of the families, though, were too scared to speak to us directly to confirm the names mentioned in the media.
Despite the threat of arrests – and harsher punishments for those involved – Iranian celebrities and athletes have stepped forward to support the anti-government protests in recent weeks.
The executions are Tehran’s main response to protests that swept the country since Amini’s death, and they signal that Iran’s clerical leadership feels it has few options other than brute force to quell the unrest.
Iran said it executed two men Saturday who were convicted of killing a paramilitary volunteer during a demonstration, the latest in a string of executions aimed at reining in the country’s protesters.
Mizan Online, a news agency affiliated with Iran’s judiciary, and the semi-official Tasmin news agency both named the protester as Mohsen Shekari. He was sentenced to death for killing a member of the Basij paramilitary force at a protest in Tehran.
Shekari was sentenced to death on October 23, and executed by hanging on Thursday morning, according to Mizan Online. It was the first execution connected to the protests to be publicly reported by state media.
“His execution must be met with the strongest possible terms and international reactions. The group’s director told CNN that they would face daily executions of protesters who were protesting for their rights.
In a message ahead of Students’ Day on December 7 – which marks the anniversary of the murder of three university students by Iranian police under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s regime in 1953 – the reformist former leader said the government must listen to the demonstrators before it is too late.
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Prominent Iranian clerics called on the judiciary to investigate and prosecute people who abuse women in prisons.
Authorities have unleashed a deadly Crackdown, with reports of physical abuse being used to target the country’s Kurdish minority group.
In a recent CNN investigation, covert testimony shows that protesters are raped in Iran’s detention centers after the unrest began.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader has praised the Basij – a wing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard – for its role in the crackdown, describing the protest movement as “rioters” and “thugs” backed by foreign forces.
In late November, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said Iran was in a “full-fledged human rights crisis,” and called for an independent investigation into violations of human rights in the country.
Activists warn that others could also be put to death in the near future, saying that at least a dozen people so far have received death sentences over their involvement in the demonstrations.
The Mizan report also alleged that Shekari said he had been offered money by an acquaintance to attack the security forces. Iran’s government for months has been trying to allege — without offering evidence — that foreign countries have fomented the unrest in the country, rather than Iranian citizens angry over the collapse of the country’s finances, heavy-handed policing and the nation’s other woes.
Mizan said Rahnavard had been convicted in Mashhad’s Revolutionary Court. The tribunals have been criticized for not allowing those on trial to pick their own lawyers.
Heavily edited footage aired on state television showed Karami speaking before a Revolutionary Court about the attack, which also showed a reenactment of the attack according to prosecutors’ claims. Iran’s Revolutionary Courts handed down the two other death sentences already carried out.
The U.S. says Salavati oversaw cases where journalists, attorneys, political activists and members of Iran’s minorities were sentenced to lengthy prison terms, lashes and even death for exercising their freedom of expression.
The execution of Majidreza Rahnavard, less than a month after he allegedly carried out the fatal stabbings of two security officials, shows the speed at which Iran now carries out death sentences for those detained in the demonstrations the government hopes to put down.
Iran’s Mizan news agency, under the country’s judiciary, alleged Rahnavard stabbed two security force members to death Nov. 17 in Mashhad and wounded four others.
There was footage aired on state TV showing a man chasing another man and then killing him after he fell against a parked motorbike. The assailant, which state TV alleged was Rahnavard, then fled.
The Mizan report said the dead were students of the Revolutionary Guard. The Basij have deployed in large cities attacking and detaining protesters who have fought back.
The Mizan report offered no motive for Rahnavard’s alleged attack. The report said that Rahnavard was attempting to flee to a foreign country when he was arrested.
Mashhad, a Shiite holy city, sits some 740 kilometers (460 miles) east of the Iranian capital, Tehran. Activists say Mashhad has seen strikes, shops closed and demonstrations amid the unrest that began over the Sept. 16 death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who had been detained by Iran’s morality police.
Iran executed one of the protesters on Thursday. Iran’s rial currency has fallen to new lows against the US dollar.
Towards a resolution of the Iran’s anti-regime protests against the Basij militia: the confession of Rahnavard to police
A pro-government TV channel aired audio that was described as Rahnavard’s confession to police. NPR could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the audio.
“Unfortunately, my arrow hit my brother,” the recording says, in reference to the trial of the Basij militia members.
The deputy head of Allameh University in Tehran told Iran’s Mehr news agency that some 20 students were banned from taking classes after they participated in a Dec. 7 rally.
The university official said that these students are people who insisted on continuing their path and didn’t appreciate our tolerant behavior.
The number of people in prison is much larger. Some 39 people are seen as being at risk of being executed or sentenced to death, according to a rights groups estimate.
Alidoosti was among several Iranian celebrities to express support for the nationwide protests and criticize the authorities’ violent clampdown on dissent. She had posted at least three messages in support of the protests on Instagram before her account was disabled.
Their lengthy sentences have been compared by critics to that of Sajjad Heydari, an Iranian man who notoriously beheaded his wife last year. Heydari, who killed his 17-year-old wife in February 2022, was sentenced to just eight years and two months in prison, according to the country’s semi-official Khabar Online website.
Hassanlou was tortured and did not have access to his own lawyer, anti-regime activists say. The attorney appointed by the government reportedly mounted no defense, instead advising his client to accept the charges of crimes against God.
Amir Nasr-Azadani allegedly confessed to rioting in Iran, as revealed by a witness close to him
He says there was no violence and it was quite the opposite. “On the personality level, very opinionated. He was as stubborn as hell because he believed in something.
“I’m proud of you,” he says. “Because I am.” I’m so proud of him, but I really miss him. I never asked why he did it. Of course, the implication was huge for him, for his family, for all the people around him. But I’m still proud of him.”
There’s a nondescript part of the historic Iranian city that’s called Shahid Alikhani square. Its sole claim to prominence is the grand entrance to one of the city’s main metro stations.
But now it has become a place of pilgrimage for supporters of the high-profile Iranian footballer Amir Nasr-Azadani who fear the young man could be executed in the square, where an execution platform has been installed, a witness close to Nasr-Azadani in Iran told CNN.
CNN has verified documents, video, witness testimony and statements from inside the country, which suggests that at least 43 people, including Nasr-Azadani, could face imminent execution.
Another man, Majid Kazemi, was also accused of involvement in the killing of three security forces in Isfahan, the document obtained by CNN and 1500Tasvir shows. He claimed that he was coerced into revealing his involvement in criminal acts during his interrogation.
According to state media, the city’s chief justice, Asadullah Jafari, said Nasr-Azadani had been charged with Baghi – or rioting against authorities. Under Iran’s penal code, the sentence carries the death penalty.
Nasr-Azadani’s family was initially unaware of the reason for his arrest, the witness tells CNN, and officials would not share information of his condition. The witness told CNN that those close to him were warned to stay quiet if they wanted to see him released earlier.
The footballer is a member of an armed group, and the court obtained video of him and enough documentation that he admitted to his crimes, state media reported.
Investigating the Executions of Mohammad Carami: An Iranian-Kurdish Karate Champion Whose Last Lives, Intentionally Detained for God’s Death
“This will coincide with a time in which the international community is observing these holy days, and the Islamic Republic regime will take advantage of being removed from the watchful eyes of the world.
“The judge that was there told me to say that I do not protest (object) and gave me three pages that I signed, while they didn’t even allow me to read any of them.
“The second time they took me in for interrogation, my charges had completely changed. That second charge levied against me contained the term ‘moharabe.’”
A document obtained and verified by CNN and 1500 Tasvir shows that at least 10 people have been indicted for Moharabe, a war against God, as well as spreading corruption on Earth and other charges.
Several other witness testimonies and official documents sent by families, and jointly authenticated by CNN and 1500Tasvir, paint a picture that shows how the Iranian regime is rushing the judicial process.
Even if the charge is decided, the Iranian Penal code allows the death penalty to be applied in a single sitting if the sentence is appealed.
The judiciary officials mentioned Baghi and Moharabe. A family member said that Soheil could be charged with the death penalty.
“We are quite frightened that, with the beginning of the Christmas holidays and a decrease in political pressure on the government, executions will begin anew, and I think that Soheil’s life and the lives of numerous political prisoners are in danger.
In Karaj, near Tehran, CNN and 1500Tasvir have confirmed five more Iranians are facing execution. Among them is 21-year-old Iranian-Kurdish Karate champion Mohammad Mehdi Karami, whose parents have also gone public with their plea.
Even though Karami had suffered torture, he was still in good spirits and had not lost his mind.
For those awaiting execution, the wait behind bars can be unbearable. The Iranian-Kurdish rapper tried to take his own life this week.
In his last music video, he rapped about the oppression and inequality in Iran. They did not allow beauty. They reversed me like an animal. I don’t think I’m satisfied with silence.
Taraneh Alidoosti’s case against the execution of a protester in Tehran during the 2018 Iranian Women’s March
“Please hear my sons’ cries for help. My children are young and have children waiting for their release. Please save them. For the love of God, save my sons.”
In Iran, a woman puts herself at risk by publicly speaking out about her issues with authorities. But it is a risk many parents feel they have no choice but to take.
One of Iran’s best-known actresses, Taraneh Alidoosti, was released on bail Wednesday, state-aligned ISNA said, after she was arrested following her criticism of a protester’s execution.
After her release from the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran on Wednesday, Alidoosti posed with bunches of flowers, surrounded by friends. No further information was released about her case.
It was stated in a message that they were in solidarity with the man who was to be hanged on the charges associated with the protests, which have led to widespread calls for the overthrow of Tehran’s ruling clerics.
Alidoosti had 8 million followers on her account, but she wrote that she was named “Mossen Shekari”. “International organizations that are watching this bloodshed and not taking action is a sad sign for humanity.”
Iranian officials blame the protests on the U.S. and other foreign powers. State-linked media have highlighted attacks on security forces, while authorities have imposed heavy restrictions on coverage of the demonstrations, including periodically cutting off internet access.
Khamenei, who has said little about the protests, spoke about Islamic dress on Wednesday in a meeting with women, saying the hijab is necessary but that those who do not “completely observe” the practice “should not be accused of being non-religious or against the revolution.”
Even before the protests, many Iranian women wore the headscarf loosely, and authorities sometimes eased off on enforcing it, particulary during the presidency of Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate who governed from 2013 to 2021. His successor, the hard-liner Ebrahim Raisi, had moved to tighten the restrictions.
In June 2020, she was given a suspended five-month prison sentence after she criticized the police on Twitter in 2018 for assaulting a woman who had removed her headscarf.
The case of #Seyed Mohammed Hosseini, a young karate player in “The Salesman”, according to Amnesty
She played a woman who was sexually assaults by her husband in “The Salesman”. The story unfolds against the backdrop of a local staging of Arthur Miller’s classic play, “Death of a Salesman,” in which the woman and her husband are cast as the main characters.
A quote from Karami’s father, that was published by the organization, reads: “I go to the court and prison every morning and walk aimlessly in the streets.” This morning I went to prison, but the assistant prosecutor stationed in prison was not there. They told me that I must stop going there if my case related to the protests. They don’t reply to you.
Karami had a tattoo of the olympic rings on his arm, which was an IranianKurdish karate champion. His cousin told CNN that Karami was a brave, intelligent boy and got into karate at age 11. He went on to join the Iranian youth national team and later won at the national championships.
“Every night I am terrified that they would give me the news of my child’s execution,” his father said. “I have lost hope… they have sentenced my child to death and might carry out his execution any minute.”
“The story of #SeyedMohammadHosseini is so sad. He lost both his parents. He visited their graves every Thursday. He coaches kids for free.
Hosseini was arrested on his way to visit his parents’ graves, according to Ye-One Rhie. The brother was also taken and has not been heard from.
According to Amnesty, Hosseini was convicted in the same hearing as Karami and two other men who were also sentenced to death, Hamid Ghare-Hasalou and Hossein Mohammadi.
“Before the group trial had started, state media aired the defendants’ forced “confessions” and described them as “murderers”, in breach of their rights to presumption of innocence and freedom from torture and other cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment,” Amnesty wrote.
Meanwhile, the politics editor of independent Iranian newspaper Etemad Online, Mehdi Beyk, was detained on Thursday, according to a tweet from the publication. The death of a 22-year-old woman was the cause of a large-scale protest in Iran last year after her arrest by the state’s morality police. A range of grievances have coalesced around the authoritarian regime.
He interviewed the families of those arrested in the ongoing demonstrations and was arrested, as reported by IranWire.
A feminist activist, Alidoosti last month published a picture of herself without the Islamic hijab and holding a sign on her profile on social media to show her support for the protest movement.
Alidoosti was not formally charged but was initially arrested for “lack of evidence for her claims” in relation to her protest against the hanging of Mohsen Shekari last month in the first known execution linked to the protests.
The tribunals don’t allow people on trial to pick their own lawyers and view evidence against them. The trials were found to “bore no resemblance to a meaningful judicial proceeding.”
A video of a woman dancing in a square without a headscarf: An Iranian couple, both social media influencers, have been jailed
State TV aired footage of the attack, and also footage of Karami and Hosseini talking about it.
The men were convicted of the killing, as well as “corruption on Earth,” a Quranic term and charge that has been levied against others in the decades since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and carries the death penalty.
An Iranian couple, both social media influencers, have been given lengthy prison sentences after a video emerged of them dancing in a main square in the capital Tehran.
A video of a woman dancing in a square without a headscarf has been shared widely on social media. The couple uploaded the video.
However Mizan, a news agency affiliated with Iran’s judiciary, said each individual was sentenced to 5-year prison term on the charges of “assembly and collusion with the intention of disrupting national security.”
The judge meted out their sentences and banned them from leaving the country for two years, while banning them from posting videos on social media for two years.
A source told CNN that security forces first raided the couple’s home on October 30th and then transferred them to jail after taking them to interrogation.
Haghighi was initially sent to Evin prison’s Ward 209 but then transferred to Qarchak women’s prison where she is currently detained, HRANA reports. Both Haghighi and her partner are being denied access to a lawyer, it added.
Haghighi and Ahmadi each has close to a million followers on Instagram and also have separate YouTube channels with a total of more than half a million followers.