According to official media, a court in Iran has delivered the first death sentence to an individual arrested for participating in the protests that have swept the country.
A Revolutionary Court in Tehran convicted the unnamed prisoner guilty of “enmity against God” for setting fire to a government building.
Five individuals were sentenced to between five and ten years in prison by another court on national security and public order offenses.
A human rights group issued a warning that the government may be planning “hasty killings.”
At least twenty individuals are currently facing charges carrying the death penalty, Iran Human Rights stated, citing official reports.
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the organization’s director, urged the international community to take immediate action and “sternly remind the Islamic Republic of the implications of murdering protestors.”
Two months ago, protests against Iran’s clerical establishment erupted following the death in detention of a young lady who had been held by morality police for allegedly violating the strict hijab regulations.
According to reports, they have spread to 140 places and have become the greatest severe threat to the Islamic Republic in more than a decade.
Iran Human Rights reports that at least 326 demonstrators, including 43 children and 25 women, were slain in a harsh crackdown by police forces.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which is also headquartered outside of the nation, reports 339 deaths and the detention of 15,300 demonstrators. It has also recorded 39 security staff deaths.
The officials of Iran have described the protests as “riots” orchestrated by the nation’s foreign foes.
Last Monday, the head of the judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, stated that “important culprits” should be discovered as soon as possible and given sentences that dissuade others.
He warned that “rioters” might be prosecuted with “moharebeh” (enmity against God), “efsad fil-arz” (corruption on Earth), and “baghy” (armed rebellion), all of which are punishable by death under Iran’s Sharia-based legal system.
Those having and utilizing weapons or firearms, disturbing national security, or murdering someone could face “qisas” (retaliation in kind), he stated, ostensibly in response to a plea for retributive punishment from 272 of Iran’s 290 parliament members.
According to judicial statistics, more than 2,000 persons have already been accused of involvement in the “recent riots.”
Local media said on Sunday that 164 people had been accused in the southern province of Hormozgan, 276 in the central province of Markazi, and 316 in the neighboring province of Isfahan.
