By Bethany Morley / GICJ
Iran carries out second execution over protests
Majidreza Rahnavard, a 23-year-old, is the second protestor to be executed in relation to recent anti-government demonstrations in Iran, following the execution of 23-year old Moshen Shekari.
Rahnavard was convicted of ‘emity against god’ having been accused of killing two members of Iran’s security forces, of which was admitted to through coerced confession. He was executed in a public hanging in Mashhad, Iran.
The family of Rahhnavard were not told about his death until after the execution.
The execution of protestors severely violates international law. The international community must urge Iranian authorities to stop the execution of protestors. Further, Iran must immediately review their commitment to international human rights law.
23-year-old protestor executed under the violent Iranian regime
Moshen Shekari, a 23-year-old protestor, has been executed. This is the first execution that has been carried out in connection to the political unrest in Iran. However, there have been many more deaths that the Iranian regime is relentlessly denying.
Shekari was arrested on the 24th of September 2022, in relation to the anti-government protests and accused by Iranian authorities of blocking the street and attacking a member of the security forces. Following his arrest, it has been reported that Shekari was denied legal representation throughout the interrogation process. He was then sentenced to be hanged. His execution was unexpected, and videos have emerged of the family of the 23-year-old being informed of the harrowing truth of his fate outside of the prison where he was being held.
Shekari’s uncle, Mahmoud Shekari, said that Moshen acted to protect his fellow protestors from security forces attacking them. He placed a guardrail in the middle of the street to block the forces from getting through. No act warrants the death penalty being applied, let alone an act to preserve the lives of fellow protestors.
The OHCHR noted on the 22nd of November that at least six people connected to the protests have been sentenced to death on charges of ‘moharebeh’, (‘waging war against God’), or ‘efsad-e del-arz’, (‘corruption on earth’) [1].Over 18,000 people are said to be detained by the Iranian authorities, with their fate being uncertain following the execution of Moshen Shekari.
The political unrest comes after the murder of Jina Masha Amini, a 22-year-old woman, following her arrest by Iran’s so-called ‘mortality police’ under the pretence of not wearing her hijab ‘correctly’ [2]. Following her death, protestors have taken to the streets of Iran to protest the harsh regime.
The Iranian regime is continually denying the suspicious deaths of activists and human rights defenders.
On the 26th of November 2022 Atefeh Naomi, a 37-year-old Ahwazi civil rights activist, was found dead in her apartment three weeks after her arrest and disappearance for participating in peaceful anti-regime protests.
Similarly, on the 4th of December 2022, Zahra Galilean, a 30-year-old student, was killed by security forces. Her death was covered up by the regime as a suicide.
Mehran Samak, a 27-year-old Iranian man was shot by security forces following Iran’s defeat in the World Cup to the United States, after he beeped his horn in celebration. This murder exhibits the Iranian regime’s deadly insecurity in its authority over the country.
The current situation in Iran has reached a critical juncture. The execution of Moshen Shekari sets a worrying precedent for the future of the lives of all those in Iran fighting for fundamental human rights. Pressure must be put on the Iranian government to release those who are detained, stop using ceaseless violence against civilians and abide by the international human rights laws the state is failing to protect.
Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ) firmly condemns Iran’s government and security forces for the murder of Moshen Shekari. We demand justice for his family, and for all of those who have fallen victim to the brutal regime. We also strongly condemn the Iranian regime's ongoing oppression, human rights abuses and violent acts against protesters. The right to peaceful assembly including protests is a fundamental right, of which violence should not follow.
We urge the international community to pressurise the Iranian government and the regime to prevent further abuses.
Iran, IranianProtest, MahsaAmini, MoshenShekari, Freedom, HumanRights, IranProtest, WomensRights, GICJ, Geneva_International_Centre_For_Justice, Justice ,geneva4justice, Human_Rights
[1] https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130927
[2] https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130927
Image source: Flikr Iran Protests | Taymaz Valley | Flickr
