Mohsen, Balochis, and minors on Iran’s death row
The execution of a young man to crush protests in Tehran comes in a country that has already seen more than 500 executions this year. Ethnic Balochis have also been executed. The UN is concerned about the possibility that 85 prisoners under the age of 18 could be hanged.
Milan (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Yesterday’s execution in Tehran of Mohsen Shekari has sparked outrage around the world.
According to Iranian media, the 23-year-old bartender is the first person to be executed in connection with events related to the ongoing protests that began with the death of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish-Iranian woman who died on 16 September in the custody of the "morality police".
Following the hanging of the young man, just 75 days after his arrest and a summary trial, fear is mounting over the fate of other prisoners who could meet the same fate.
Amnesty International has released a list of 12 people linked to the protests who were sentenced to death while six others are on trial for similar offences.
Along with these cases, there are also reports that are more difficult to verify, especially in regions inhabited by Kurdish and Baloch minorities, where the repression against protests has been harshest.
While Mohsen Shekari was put to death, social media was abuzz with posts slamming the execution of three ethnic Balochis, all brothers – Joma, Anushiravan and Nasser Omarzehi – in the south-eastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, on the border with Pakistan. Most Balochis are Sunni Muslim.
Two other brothers, both Balochi and under age, Mohammad Rakhshani and Ali Rakhshani, are said to be in prison for moharebeh, "enmity towards God", a charge also levelled at Mohsen Shekari. The local prosecutor denied that the two are in danger of imminent execution.
The use of the death penalty in Iran to crack down on protests goes way back, long before the recent wave of street protests that began almost three months ago.
According to Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO), more than 500 people have been put to death in the Middle Eastern country this year, the highest number in the last five years.
According to a UN report released last October, as many as 85 minors are currently on death row, most of them from marginalised groups or victims of abuse.
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21/03/2023 13:56
