Iran will begin this week the public trials of 1,000 people accused of participating in the protests triggered by the death of the young Mahsa Amini in September, the Tehran judicial office announced on Monday.
The trials will be held in public at the revolutionary courts in the Iranian capital, the cabinet said, according to the Spanish news agency EFE.
“These are people who committed acts of sabotage during the recent unrest and are facing serious charges, including assaulting and killing security forces or setting public and private property on fire.”the cabinet said.
The head of the Iranian judiciary, Gholamhosein Mohseni Ejei, said the trials would be carried out “with speed and precision”, especially against those who tried to subvert the Islamic system.
“Those who tried to subvert the regime and depend on foreigners will be punished according to the laws,” Ejei said.
Charges of collaboration with foreign governments can carry the death penalty in Iran.
At least 1,019 people have been charged in eight of Iran’s 31 provinces for their involvement in the protests, but the number could be higher as each region has been announcing its cases.
Iran has faced protests since Amini’s death on September 16, three days after she was detained by morality police for improperly wearing the Islamic headscarf.
The protests are mainly carried out by young people and women who ask for freedom and the end of the Islamic Republic, something unthinkable not long ago.
In recent days, the repression of the demonstrations has hardened, especially in the universities, after an ultimatum from the Revolutionary Guard for the young people to stop protesting.
The protests are being heavily repressed by security forces and have resulted in 108 deaths and 12,500 arrests, according to the Oslo-based non-governmental organization (NGO) Iran Human Rights.
Source: TSF
