First death sentence linked to Iran protests

A man was sentenced to death in Iran on Sunday, the first such penalty handed down out of thousands of indictments and tens of thousands of arrests since the wave of protests that began on September 16.

The trigger was the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, 22, who had been arrested for not wearing her hijab properly, and early demonstrators included women who burned their headscarves publicly. But they have spilled over into wider calls for the overthrow of the regime, and violence, including against clerics.

The death penalty issued on Sunday was reported by an Iranian judicial news outlet. It said the man, who has not been named, had been accused of setting fire to a government building, disturbing public order, and conspiracy to commit a crime against national security. He was also accused of efsad-fil-arz (corruption on Earth) and moharebeh (being an enemy of God).

Twenty people accused of taking part in anti-regime protests have also been charged with offences that attract the death penalty, a human rights group based in Norway said today.

Eleven people, including one woman, have been charged with corruption on Earth, according to Iran Human Rights. It said that state television had already broadcast their public “confessions”.

Their cases were in addition to nine other people already accused of the same charge or being an enemy of God, both of which carry the death penalty, normally carried out by hanging in Iran.

Two of the original nine people facing the death sentence, named as Manouchehr Mehman Navaz and Mohammad Boroughan, were also accused of arson.

The human rights group said it feared that the regime was determined to press ahead with the sentences quickly. President Raisi, a hardliner, and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, have indicated that they intend to take a tough line with the demonstrators and hand down exemplary sentences to deter further unrest.

“The international community must strongly warn the Islamic Republic of the consequences of executing protesters,” Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the group’s director, said.

“Summoning their ambassadors and implementing stronger effective human rights action against state officials are among the consequences European countries must consider,” he added.