Tehran executes first ‘protest’ prisoner

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DUBAI, Dec 8, (AP): Iran said Thursday it executed a prisoner convicted for a crime allegedly committed during the country’s ongoing nationwide protests, the first such death penalty carried out by Tehran. The execution comes as other detainees also face the possibility of the death penalty for their involvement in the protests, which began in mid- September, first as an outcry against Iran’s morality police. The protests have expanded into one of the most serious challenges to Iran’s theocracy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Activists warn that others could also be put to death in the near future, saying that at least a dozen people so far have received death sentences over their involvement in the demonstrations. The execution “must be met with strong reactions otherwise we will be facing daily executions of protesters,” wrote Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the director of the Oslo-based activist group Iran Human Rights. “This execution must have rapid practical consequences internationally.”

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock condemned Shekari’s execution in a Twitter post, saying “the Iranian regime’s contempt for humanity is limitless.” The Mizan news agency, run by Iran’s judiciary, identified the executed protester as Mohsen Shekari. It said he had been convicted in Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, which typically holds closed-door cases.

The tribunals have been internationally criticized for not allowing those on trial to pick their own lawyers or even see the evidence against them. Shekari was accused of blocking a street in Tehran and attacking with a machete a member of the security forces, who required stitches for his wounds, the agency said. The Mizan report also alleged that Shekari said he had been offered money by an acquaintance to attack the security forces.

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