Three men have been executed in Iran after being sentenced to death for “violent behaviour” during anti-government protests last year, Iranian authorities announced on Friday.
The Mizan website, which depends on Tehran’s justice system, announced the executions of Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirashemi and Saeed Yaghoubi, referring that the three men were involved in the death of a policeman and two members of the Basij paramilitary group, in Isfahan. , during the demonstrations last November.
Human rights organizations say the three men were subjected to acts of torture and forced to give statements under duress in front of Iranian television cameras.
Protests against the Iranian government erupted in September last year after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, detained by police for violating dress codes imposed on women and mandatory in the Islamic Republic since 1979.
The number of demonstrations has been declining in recent months despite sporadic protests, specifically by women refusing to wear the Islamic headscarf (hijab).
Iran has so far executed seven people suspected of being linked to the protests.
Human rights defense groups denounce that many other citizens have been sentenced in secret courts and without the right to any type of defense.
“The accusation [dos três homens] was based on forced ‘confessions’,” said Hadi Ghaemi, director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran, a US-based non-governmental organization.
Hadi Ghaemi also mentioned that Kazemi called a relative and said that the authorities tortured him, beat him on the feet with an electric shock device and threatened him with sexual assault.
London-based Amnesty International has also expressed serious concern about this case.
“The shocking way in which the Iranian judicial system conducted the trial and sentencing of these protesters, using ‘confessions’ tainted with torture, gross procedural flaws and a lack of evidence, is yet another flagrant example of the right to life of the Iranian authorities. and respect for fair trials,” said Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
More than 500 people were killed during the months of protests, including dozens of members of the security forces who carried out thousands of arrests, according to data from non-governmental organizations.
Source: TSF
