Iran kills two protesters publicly in less than a week, with not a care in the world
It is almost three months since Iranians began protesting against the regime after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. Mahsa was killed in the custody of Iran's infamous morality police, which arrested her for not wearing the 'hijab properly'. Even three months later, Iran's crackdown on the protesters, and protests against the government's brutality and compulsory hijab mandates continue.
Second execution in less than a week: Iran's government publicly hanged a protester, the second, in less than a week on Monday, December 12, after charging him with 'killing two members of security forces'.
- Majid Reza Rahnavard was just 23 and was hanged to death only 23 days after his arrest while he was trying to flee the country.
According to Iranian news outlet Mizan, Rahnavard was accused of stabbing to death two Basij members on a street in Mashhad on November 17. The Basij is a volunteer group that Iranian authorities frequently use to quell protests.
Second Iranian protester was hanged today morning, just 23 days after his arrest.
— Parham Ghobadi (@BBCParham) December 12, 2022
Majidreza Rahnavard appeared with a broken arm in an Iranian state TV report. pic.twitter.com/hMGkidpA6V
What did the government say? The governor of Mashhad claimed that the stabbings occurred after a group of "rioters" began "threatening businessmen" in an attempt to force them to close their businesses. He stated that when Basij members approached the group, one of them abruptly assaulted them with a knife.
According to the BBC, the opposition activist collective '1500tasvir' tweeted that Rahnavard's family was not aware that he was going to be executed and that they were telephoned by an official at 7 am local Iranian time and told: "We have killed your son and buried his body in Behesht-e Reza cemetery."
They allowed #MajidRezaRahnavard’s mother to visit him, and didn’t speak of execution at all. She left smiling and hoping that her son would be released soon.
— 1500tasvir_en (@1500tasvir_en) December 12, 2022
This morning she arrived when her son’s murderers were burying his dead body alone.#StopExecutionInIran pic.twitter.com/9n2k02uE60
The first execution took place in Iran last Thursday, December 6, triggering international condemnation.
- Mohsen Shekari, 23, was convicted of "enmity against God" after being found to have attacked a Basij member with a machete in Tehran.
It caused an international outcry, with the United States and a host of European countries and institutions strongly condemning Shekari's execution.
- According to Iran International, rights groups said that Shekari was 'tortured and forced to confess'.
- All trials of detained protesters take place behind closed doors without due process, including the right of the accused to have their own defence lawyers.
According to the rights group HRANA, as of Sunday, 488 protesters had been killed, including 68 minors.
- It said 62 members of the security forces had also been killed.
- As many as 18,259 protesters are believed to have been arrested since the protests broke out.