Scores of executions feared in Iran as 23-year-old hanged in public killing - The Guardian

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Fears are increasing that Iran is preparing to execute scores much protesters aft authorities hanged a 23-year-old antheral from a crane, successful a nationalist sidesplitting carried retired little than a period aft helium was arrested and pursuing a secretive trial.

Majidreza Rahnavard was sentenced to death by a tribunal successful the metropolis of Mashhad, a centre of the protests, for allegedly sidesplitting 2 members of the paramilitary Basij unit and wounding 4 others. The Basij, affiliated with the country’s feared Revolutionary Guards, has been astatine the forefront of the authorities crackdown.

The pro-government Mizan quality bureau published a collage of images of Rahnavard hanging from a metallic crane, his hands and feet bound, a achromatic container implicit his head. Masked information unit members stood defender successful beforehand of factual and metallic barriers that held backmost a assemblage aboriginal connected Monday morning.

Rahnavard was not allowed to take his ain lawyer, situation the grounds against him oregon inquire for the proceedings to beryllium held successful public.

Iranian activistic web 1500tasvir said Rahnavard’s parent was allowed to sojourn him the nighttime earlier helium was hanged. Neither was alert of his imminent execution, according to the group, which posted a photograph connected Twitter of the 2 hugging and smiling.

Iran has carried retired nationalist hangings successful the past, astir infamously successful the 1980s during a wide purge of dissidents and aft the disputed 2009 statesmanlike election, but they person go uncommon successful caller years.

State TV showed a video successful which Rahnavard said successful the tribunal that helium came to hatred the Basij forces aft seeing them beating and sidesplitting protesters successful videos posted connected societal media. Activists said helium was forced to confess nether torture, providing a photograph of him with his limb successful a sling. An net blackout and restrictions connected reporting marque it intolerable to corroborate claims retired of Iran.

The manager of the Oslo-based radical Iran Human Rights, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, warned that the nationalist execution of a young antheral truthful soon aft his apprehension indicated “a important escalation of the level of unit against protesters”.

“Rahnavard was sentenced to decease based connected coerced confessions, aft a grossly unfair process and a amusement trial,” said Amiry-Moghaddam, a starring activistic successful exile. “This transgression indispensable beryllium met with superior consequences for the Islamic republic.”

He said determination was “a superior hazard of wide execution of protesters” arsenic thousands were successful custody.

UN quality rights experts estimated that much than 14,000 radical person been arrested since rallies archetypal erupted successful mid-September implicit the decease of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish-Iranian pistillate arrested by the morality constabulary for allegedly wearing her headscarf the incorrect way. She near constabulary custody successful a coma and died successful infirmary from terrible caput wounds.

Iran is already the world’s astir prolific idiosyncratic of the decease punishment aft China, Amnesty International says. The rights radical warned this play that the lives of 2 much young men sentenced to decease – Mahan Sadrat and Sahand Nourmohammadzadeh – were some astatine imminent risk.

Two different radical were recovered blameworthy of offences that transportation the decease punishment connected Monday, adding to the 25 others that Iranian media person said look execution.

Tehran has repeatedly blamed overseas enemies for what it describes arsenic “riots” and accused “terrorists” of sidesplitting dozens of information unit members successful an uprising that represents the biggest situation to the authorities since the shah’s ousting successful 1979.

European Union overseas ministers connected Monday imposed caller sanctions connected Iran implicit the “widespread, brutal and disproportionate” crackdown connected anti-government protests, but besides its drone deliveries to Russia for its usage successful the Ukraine war.

The EU “will instrumentality immoderate enactment we tin to enactment young women and peaceful demonstrators”, the bloc’s overseas argumentation chief, Josep Borrell, said.

The German overseas minister, Annalena Baerbock, said the sanctions were targeting “in peculiar those who are liable for the executions, the unit against guiltless people”.

Twenty individuals were sanctioned – having their assets frozen and banned from EU question – implicit quality rights abuses. Those sanctions are seen arsenic having small interaction by Iranian activists, who person called for Europe to statesman expelling Iranian diplomats. Activists person besides successful the past enactment unit connected companies providing cranes to Iran to halt sales, informing they tin beryllium utilized for executions.

Rahnavard was the 2nd idiosyncratic progressive successful caller demonstrations to beryllium executed. On Thursday, Iran hanged Mohsen Shekari, who had been convicted of injuring a information defender with a weapon and blocking a thoroughfare successful Tehran. During his trial, Shekari showed signs of torture disposable connected his face, his uncle Mahmoud Shekari said.

His execution implicit an alleged offence that was non-fatal has raised superior interest implicit the debased barroom Tehran is utilizing for superior punishment. One pro-regime legislator, Zohra Elahian, claimed arsenic galore arsenic 7,000 information officials had been injured during the demonstrations.

Heartfelt appeals from parents of sons astir to look the decease punishment person appeared online oregon successful newspapers protesting that their children are guiltless and demanding they are fixed the basal close to a lawyer of their choosing.

Reformists who stay loyal to the thought of the Islamic republic person been informing hardliners for weeks that they request to perceive to the protests and respond, oregon spot astir of the already alienated colonisation request the overthrow of the full post-1979 system.

At slightest 488 radical person been killed since the demonstrations began successful mid-September, according to Human Rights Activists successful Iran, a radical that has been monitoring the protests. Another 18,200 radical person been detained by authorities.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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