On Monday, Iran’s judiciary announced that three people had been sentenced to death for their involvement in the killing of security forces in the center of the country in the fields of protests that followed the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini. Since September 16, protests have been held in Iran following the death of 22-year-old Amini, three days after she was arrested by the authorities by the Vice Police for not following the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code.
The new rulings, which are still preliminary and subject to appeal, bring the total number of maximum sentences handed down in protest-related cases to 17, four of which have been enforced and the Supreme Court has ratified two other rulings.
Hundreds of people, including dozens of law enforcement officers, were killed during protests, including those raising slogans against the authorities. Thousands have also been arrested on the sidelines of the movements, much of which Iranian officials consider “riots” behind the “enemies” of the Islamic Republic.
The judiciary has sentenced Saleh Mir Hashemi, Majid Kazemi and Saeed Yacoubi to death after they were accused of “haraba”, according to the judiciary’s website Mizan Online.
The website states that three were convicted of involvement in the murder of three members of the security forces in Isfahan province, in the center of the country, on November 16.
In the same case, the judiciary issued prison sentences to two other defendants, one of whom was 26-year-old footballer Amir Nasr Azadani.
And the court sentenced the player defending the colors of the local club “Iran Javan” to three prison terms for different terms. According to Iranian law, Nasr Azadani has to serve the longest prison sentence, which is 16 years in prison.
The player’s case and the possibility of a death sentence for him drew criticism from outside organizations, led by the Fifpro International Football Federation.
Mizan Online stated that all decisions rendered in the case of the murder of three members of the security forces are preliminary and are subject to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The judiciary has already issued death sentences to four people convicted of attacking security forces on the sidelines of protests that took place in different parts of the country and are approaching the end of the fourth month.
On Saturday, the judiciary announced the execution of Muhammad Mahdi Karmi and Seyed Muhammad Hosseini for their involvement in the killing of mobilization force member Ruhollah Ajamyan (Basij) in the city of Karaj, west of Tehran, on November 3.
In December, Majid Reza Rahnaward and Mohsen Shakari were executed and also found guilty of attacking members of the security forces.
Of the 17 death sentences, four were carried out and the other two were confirmed by the Supreme Court. Five judgments remain at the preliminary stage and are subject to appeal to the Supreme Court, while the latter has ordered a retrial of six people sentenced to death.
According to the London-based human rights organization Amnesty International, Iran ranks second in the world after China in terms of the number of death sentences carried out.