Iran protests: 15 minutes to defend yourself against the death penalty

Four young men person been executed successful transportation with the nationwide protests that erupted successful Iran 4 months ago, portion 18 different radical person been sentenced to death. Human rights groups person said they were convicted aft grossly unfair sham trials.

Sources person told BBC Persian that helium had little than 15 minutes to support himself successful court.

His communicative shows however authorities successful Iran are utilizing amusement trials to onslaught fearfulness into the hearts of the protesters, who are demanding state and an extremity to the clerical regime.

The protestation question began aft the decease successful custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old pistillate who was detained by morality constabulary successful September for allegedly not wearing the mandatory headscarf "properly".

Authorities dismissed the unrest arsenic "rioting" and launched a convulsive crackdown. At slightest 481 protesters person been killed by information forces, according to Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based non-governmental organisation.

Karami was arrested successful transportation with the execution of a subordinate of the paramilitary Basij unit during protests successful the metropolis of Karaj, conscionable westbound of Tehran, connected 3 November.

He was aboriginal charged with the superior offence of "corruption connected Earth" and went connected proceedings earlier a Revolutionary Court successful Karaj connected 30 November on with 16 different people, including 3 children, besides accused of engagement successful the murder.

Defendants are entitled to ineligible practice successful Iran, but successful delicate cases similar this one, oregon successful espionage cases, they are not allowed to take their ain lawyers. Instead, the tribunal appoints 1 from a database approved by the judiciary.

Journalists and members of the defendant's household are besides barred from being successful court, truthful the lone model into what happens down the closed doors is heavy edited footage released by the judiciary.

In 1 specified video, Karami appears visibly distressed arsenic helium "confesses" to hitting the Basij subordinate connected the caput with a rock. His court-appointed lawyer does not situation oregon quality this and, instead, asks the justice for forgiveness. Karami past says helium was "fooled" and sits down.

On 5 December, Karami was convicted and sentenced to death. Four of his co-defendants were besides sentenced to death, portion the children and 8 others were handed lengthy jailhouse terms, according to the judiciary.

Normally, defendants' household members travel nether unit from authorities to enactment silent.

But Mohammad's father, Mashaalah Karami, who works arsenic a thoroughfare vendor selling packets of tissues, gave an interrogation to the Etemad newspaper. He said his lad had called him successful tears the time that helium was sentenced to death.

"Dad, they gave america the verdict. Mine is the decease penalty. Don't archer Mum anything," his begetter recalled, reiterating his son's innocence.

Later, absorption activistic radical 1500 Tasvir published an relationship connected societal media alleging that Karami had been tortured.

It said helium had told his household during a gathering successful situation that helium had been beaten unconscious by guards. The guards had assumed helium was dormant and dumped his assemblage successful a distant area, but arsenic they near they had realised helium was inactive alive, it added.

Karami besides told his household that information agents had "touched his genitals each time and threatened to rape him" during interrogations, according to the account.

Under Iran's ineligible system, erstwhile a little tribunal passes a decease condemnation it is sent to the Supreme Court for approval. But adjacent if the Supreme Court endorses the decease penalty, it tin inactive beryllium appealed.

Karami's begetter told Etemad that helium had tried to interaction the state-appointed lawyer aggregate times, but determination had been nary response.

The household past tried to prosecute 1 of Iran's astir salient quality rights lawyers, Mohammad Hossein Aghasi.

"Mohammad called maine from situation 3 times and asked maine to correspond him. His parents besides urged maine to correspond their son," Mr Aghasi said.

Mr Aghasi wrote to the section tribunal and past to the Supreme Court. At each stage, his letters were ignored oregon rejected. And lodging an entreaty against the Supreme Court determination was besides ruled retired by a judge.

Authorities person repeatedly said the fast-track trials of protesters and the harsh sentences handed retired are meant arsenic a deterrent.

Seyed Mohammad Hosseini, a 39-year-old unpaid children's coach, was besides hanged connected 7 January, aft lasting proceedings alongside Karami for the aforesaid crime.

His parents are dead, truthful determination was nary family-led run connected societal media to prevention his beingness aft helium was sentenced. However, galore Iranians shared a station saying: "We are each Mohammad's family."

Hosseini, who was bipolar, did negociate to get autarkic ineligible practice aft the Supreme Court had upheld his decease sentence.

Lawyer Ali Sharifzadeh Ardakani was capable to sojourn him successful situation successful December and aboriginal tweeted astir it.

"He cried passim the visit. He talked astir torture, being beaten portion handcuffed and blindfolded, and being kicked successful the caput and losing consciousness," Mr Ardakani wrote.

"[He is] a antheral whose confessions person each been obtained nether torture and person nary ineligible validity."

Mr Ardakani submitted papers to entreaty the Supreme Court determination and was told to instrumentality to tribunal connected 7 January. But arsenic helium was travelling there, helium heard Hosseini had been hanged.

The lawyer was aboriginal detained by the authorities and is presently retired connected bail. A root told BBC Persian that helium faced a ailment from the Karaj authoritative related to his tweet alleging that Hosseini was tortured.

Human rights groups person condemned Iran's judicial strategy for relying connected "forced confessions".

A root has told BBC Persian that the state-appointed lawyers efficaciously enactment arsenic "interrogators" during trials, piling the unit connected the accused, alternatively than defending them.

Iran Human Rights reports that astatine slightest 109 protesters are presently astatine hazard of execution, having been sentenced to decease oregon charged with superior offences. It has established the ages of 60 of those protesters, and says the mean is 27, with 3 nether 18.

After Seyed Mohammad Hosseini and Mohammad Mehdi Karami were hanged, Western countries and quality rights groups demanded that Iran instantly halt executions.

But a week later, the judiciary announced that it had hanged British-Iranian dual nationalist Alireza Akbari, a erstwhile apical Iranian defence ministry authoritative who was convicted of spying for the UK. In an audio signaling obtained by BBC Persian past week, Akbari alleged that helium had been tortured and forced to "confess" to crimes helium did not commit.

Meanwhile, yet different heart-breaking awesome of the protestation question was shared connected societal media.

A video showed Maashalah Karami kneeling astatine his son's grave, wearing what appears to beryllium his son's yellowish jumper

He is seen holding a photograph of his lad successful 1 manus and clutches his ain pharynx with the different hand, mimicking a noose.