Iran top court accepts rapper Yasin's appeal against death sentence - Reuters

Dec 24 (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Court has accepted an entreaty by rapper Saman Seydi Yasin against his decease condemnation adjacent arsenic it confirmed the aforesaid condemnation against different protester, the judiciary said connected Saturday.

Yasin, a Kurd who raps astir inequality, oppression and unemployment, had been accused of attempting to termination information forces, mounting a rubbish bin connected occurrence and shooting 3 times into the aerial during anti-government protests, charges which helium denied.

Yasin's parent past week pleaded successful a video for assistance to prevention her son. "Where successful the satellite person you seen a loved one's beingness is taken for a trash bin?" she said successful the video posted connected societal media.

The tribunal had initially said it had accepted the appeals of Yasin and different protester, but successful a consequent connection the judiciary's Mizan quality bureau said lone Yasin's entreaty had been accepted.

"The nationalist relations of the Supreme Court of Iran has corrected its news: 'The entreaty of Mohammad Qobadloo has not been accepted ... Saman Seydi's entreaty has been accepted by the Supreme Court," the bureau said.

Explaining the determination successful its archetypal statement, it cited flaws successful investigating the lawsuit and said it had been referred backmost to the tribunal for re-examination.

Qobadloo had been charged with sidesplitting a constabulary cause and injuring 5 others with his car during the protests.

Unrest erupted crossed Iran successful mid-September aft the decease successful custody of Kurdish Iranian pistillate Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by morality constabulary enforcing the Islamic Republic's strict formal codification for women.

Late connected Saturday, the 100th time of the protests, videos posted connected societal media showed nighttime demonstrations said to beryllium successful areas including the superior Tehran, the northeastern metropolis of Mashhad, Karaj westbound of Tehran, and Sanandaj, the centre of Kurdistan state successful the northwest.

Dozens of protesters were seen braving rainfall and snowfall to chant slogans including "Death to the dictator" and "Death to (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei!" Reuters could not instantly verify the videos.

DEATH PENALTY

Saturday's announcement follows the Supreme Court's suspension of protester Mahan Sadrat's decease condemnation 10 days ago. He had been charged with assorted alleged offences specified arsenic stabbing a information serviceman and mounting occurrence to a motorcycle.

Iran hanged 2 protesters earlier this month: Mohsen Shekari, 23, who was accused of blocking a main roadworthy successful September and wounding a subordinate of the paramilitary Basij unit with a knife, and Majid Reza Rahnavard, 23, who was accused of stabbing to decease 2 Basij members, and publically hanged from a operation crane.

Amnesty International called connected the planetary assemblage to unit Iran to halt Qobadloo's execution and "not let Iran’s machinery of decease to assertion different unfortunate portion (the) world’s attraction is connected celebrating the festive season".

Amnesty has said Iranian authorities are seeking the decease punishment for astatine slightest 26 radical successful what it called "sham trials designed to intimidate those participating successful the fashionable uprising that has rocked Iran".

It said each of those facing decease sentences had been denied the close to capable defence and entree to lawyers of their choosing. Rights groups accidental defendants person alternatively to trust connected state-appointed attorneys who bash small to support them.

Rights radical HRANA said that, arsenic of Friday, 506 protesters had been killed, including 69 minors. It said 66 members of the information forces had besides been killed. As galore arsenic 18,516 protesters are believed to person been arrested, it said.

Officials person said that up to 300 people, including members of the information forces, had mislaid their lives successful the unrest.

Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Philippa Fletcher, David Holmes and Nick Macfie

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