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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran said Thursday it executed a captive convicted for a transgression allegedly committed during the country’s ongoing nationwide protests, the archetypal specified decease punishment carried retired by Tehran.
The execution of Mohsen Shekari comes arsenic different detainees besides look the anticipation of the decease punishment for their engagement successful the protests, which began successful mid-September, archetypal arsenic an outcry against Iran’s morality police. The protests person expanded into 1 of the astir superior challenges to Iran’s theocracy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Activists pass that others could besides beryllium enactment to decease successful the adjacent future, saying that astatine slightest a twelve radical truthful acold person received decease sentences implicit their engagement successful the demonstrations.
The execution “must beryllium met with beardown reactions different we volition beryllium facing regular executions of protesters,” wrote Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the manager of the Oslo-based radical Iran Human Rights. “This execution indispensable person accelerated applicable consequences internationally.”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock condemned Shekari’s execution successful a Twitter post, saying “the Iranian regime’s contempt for humanity is limitless.”
The Mizan quality agency, tally by Iran’s judiciary, said Shekari had been convicted successful Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, which typically holds closed-door cases. The tribunals person been internationally criticized for not allowing those connected proceedings to prime their ain lawyers oregon adjacent spot the grounds against them.
Shekari was accused of blocking a thoroughfare successful Tehran and attacking with a machete a subordinate of the information forces, who required stitches for his wounds, the bureau said.
The Mizan study besides alleged that Shekari said helium had been offered wealth by an acquaintance to onslaught the information forces.
Iran’s authorities for months has been trying to allege — without offering grounds — that overseas countries person fomented the unrest. Protesters accidental they are aggravated implicit the illness of the economy, heavy-handed policing and the entrenched powerfulness of the country’s Islamic clergy.
Mizan said Shekari had been arrested connected Sept. 25, past convicted connected Nov. 20 connected the complaint of “moharebeh,” a Farsi connection meaning “waging warfare against God.” That complaint has been levied against others successful the decades since 1979 and carries the decease penalty. Mizan said an entreaty by Shekari’s lawyer against the condemnation failed.
After his execution, Iranian authorities tv aired a heavy edited bundle showing the courtroom and parts of Shekari’s trial, presided implicit by Judge Abolghassem Salavati.
Salavati faces U.S. sanctions for meting retired harsh punishments.
“Salavati unsocial has sentenced much than 100 governmental prisoners, quality close activists, media workers and others seeking to workout state of assembly to lengthy situation presumption arsenic good arsenic respective decease sentences,” the U.S. Treasury said successful sanctioning him successful 2019.
“Judges connected these Revolutionary Courts, including Salavati, person acted arsenic some justice and prosecutor, deprived prisoners of entree to lawyers and intimidated defendants.”
Iran has been rocked by protests since the Sept. 16 decease of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died aft being detained by the country’s morality police. At slightest 475 radical person been killed successful the demonstrations amid a heavy-handed information crackdown, according to Human Rights Activists successful Iran, a radical that’s been monitoring the protests since they began. Over 18,000 person been detained by authorities.
Iran is 1 of the world’s apical executioners. It typically executes prisoners by hanging. Already, Amnesty International said it obtained a papers signed by 1 elder Iranian constabulary commandant asking an execution for 1 captive beryllium “completed ‘in the shortest imaginable time’ and that his decease condemnation beryllium carried retired successful nationalist arsenic ‘a heart-warming motion towards the information forces.’”
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Associated Press writer Frank Jordans successful Berlin contributed to this report.
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Follow Jon Gambrell connected Twitter astatine www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.
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