Skip to main content

Mohsen Shekari: Iran carries out first execution over protests



Mohsen Shekari was hanged on Thursday morning after being found guilty by a Revolutionary Court of "moharebeh" (enmity against God), state media said.

He was accused of being a "rioter" who blocked a main road in Tehran in September and wounded a member of a paramilitary force with a machete.

An activist said he was convicted after a "show trial without any due process".

"The international community must immediately and strongly react to this execution," Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights, said in a statement.

"If Mohsen Shekari's execution is not met with serious consequences for the government, we will face mass execution of protesters," he added. 

The judiciary's Mizan news agency reported that a Revolutionary Court was told that Mohsen Shekari had blocked Tehran's Sattar Khan Street on 25 September and used a machete to attack a member of the Basij Resistance Force, a volunteer paramilitary force often deployed to quell protests.

On 1 November, the court found Shekari guilty of fighting and drawing a weapon "with the intention of killing, causing terror and disturbing the order and security of society" and convicted him of "enmity against God", Mizan said.

He appealed against the verdict, but it was upheld by the supreme court on 20 November, it added. 

Iran Human Rights said Shekari was "denied access to his lawyer throughout the interrogation phase [and] legal proceedings".

It also said the hard-line Fars news agency aired his "forced confessions" hours after his execution. In the video, a bruise on his right cheek is visible.

Opposition activist collective 1500tasvir tweeted: "While his family were still hoping for an appeal and had no news from the case, the Islamic Republic unexpectedly executed him."

The judiciary has so far announced that at least 11 other people have been sentenced to death by Revolutionary Courts on the charges of "enmity against God" or "corruption on Earth" in connection with the protests. The defendants' identities have not been disclosed.

Amnesty International has said the courts operate "under the influence of security and intelligence forces to impose harsh sentences following grossly unfair trials marked by summary and predominantly secret processes".

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

1 Saudi Move & Impact On West Asian Geopolitics

  As one of the most influential players in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia's actions have far-reaching consequences for West Asian geopolitics. In recent years, we've seen several moves from this powerful nation that are shaking up traditional power dynamics and creating new alliances. From its diplomatic spat with Qatar to its growing relationship with Israel, Saudi Arabia is making bold moves that could change the face of West Asia as we know it. Join us as we dive into the geopolitical implications of Saudi Arabia's latest actions and explore what they mean for the future of this critical region. Saudi Arabia has long been a dominant force in the Middle East, wielding its oil wealth and religious influence to shape regional politics. Its alliance with the United States has given it even greater sway on the global stage, making it a key player in shaping West Asian geopolitics. However, Saudi Arabia's role in the region is not without controversy. Its support for conse

Untold story of weapons in Iran

  With Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan and Iran getting its hands on the weapons, things have become extremely unpredictable in the region. In the forceful acquisition, Iran has been making several under-the-table deals with Taliban’s leader. In the widespread scam it was revealed that Iran has been stealing US military equipment despite repeated warnings of the officials and the regional heads. Increasing the regional threats and expanding the territory of fear, Taliban and Iran have joined hands to steal the equipment’s that belonged to US military while they were in Afghanistan. This has proved to be an opportunity for Tehran who has been looking to get back to American treatment of sanctions. Even with Joe Biden in power, the sanctions on Iran remain strict and even higher level talks could not help the two countries come to one state of documentation. Iran is known to fund and support terrorists in the region and with its current leader, who is an ultra-conservative Islamist.

Fights break out as Kurds protest the French government's denial of a terrorist attack

  Following the murder of three Kurds in what is being considered to be a probable racist incident , there have been widespread protests in Paris. The fact that the authorities did not view the attack at a Kurdish centre as a terrorist act has enraged the Kurdish diaspora in Paris. A 69-year-old man opened fire on a crowd of individuals early on Friday morning at the Ahmet-Kaya centre on Rue d'Enghien in the 10th arrondissement. One of the three victims is badly injured. All of the dead were Kurdish community members who passed away both inside and outside the cultural centre. Agit Polat, a spokesman for the Kurdish centre, charged that French officials "yet again failed to safeguard us... This is a terrorist attack in our eyes, according to the AFP news agency. In the afternoon, a number of protestors, largely from the Kurdish diaspora, got into a fight with the police outside the centre and in the streets close by, throwing rocks and torching trash cans. Police use