Iranian parliament pushed judges to sentence protesters to the death penalty. According to the lawmakers, the judiciary should issue death sentences to individuals arrested during the riots.
227 members of the 290-seat Parliament of Iran have called on the Judiciary to issue death sentences for people arrested during the ongoing anti-government protests.https://t.co/iFQsRNZDUj pic.twitter.com/xau922a6ay
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) November 6, 2022
Iran has been gripped by nationwide protests that started with the anti-hijab protests and were later inflamed by the death of Mahsa Amini.
Amini, along with an increasing number of victims by Iran’s morality police, has fueled the protests causing them to intensify despite the regime’s violent crackdowns.
Iranian lawmakers, mainly hardliners and Revolutionary Guard officers, are scrambling desperately to end the protests. On Sunday, November 6, Iran’s parliament announced that the protesters were “mohareb,” or enemies of god.
They also claimed that the US and other groups were inciting the riots.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker, said Mossad and the CIA are primarily responsible for propagating and encouraging the riots.
On November 8, two days after the parliament’s announcement, Iran’s judiciary announced heavy penalties for those arrested during the protests.
Masoud Setayeshi, the speaker for Iran’s courts, said they will deal with the protesters “in a firm, deterrent, and legal manner.”
“Now, the public, even protesters who are not supportive of riots, demand from the judiciary and security institutions to deal with the few people who have caused disturbances in a firm, deterrent, and legal manner,” Setayeshi added.
More than 1,000 individuals that have been arrested in connection to what the regime called “riots” have been indicted. Most of the charges included “corruption on earth,” “assembly and collusion against national security,” and “confrontation with the Islamic Republic.”
According to an Instagram account called persianswithpurpose, more than 14,000 individuals arrested during the protests are at risk of being executed.
On the same day after the court’s announcement, Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced Mahan Sedarat to the death penalty.
During the hearing, Sedarat insisted that he would join a peaceful gathering.
At the court hearing, Mahan Sedarat stated he did not intend to fight against police forces, and that he was planning to peacefully gather with other people and chant slogans. The judge accused him of "disrupting the social order." https://t.co/LqAISbyqAZ #truth #IranRevolution
— IranWire (@IranWireEnglish) November 9, 2022
Another Instagram account, iraniancollective, posted a list of individuals convicted and sentenced to death. The list included Iranian rapper Saman Yasin Sayedi after expressing support to the protesters.
According to the post, victims were not allowed inside the courtroom. “No defense lawyers, no jury; one judge decides the sentence of the defendants,” the iraniancollective added.
