In Iran, two young men under the age of 20 face execution after receiving death sentences for their involvement in the nationwide protests. It is said to be the youngest convicted to date.
An 18-year-old has been sentenced to death for setting fire to a traffic police cottage in the western city of Novjar, the Oslo-based organization Iran Human Rights (IHR) said on Monday. The other young man is therefore 19 years old.
The 18-year-old Mehdi M. was found guilty of “corruption on earth” and “enmity against God”. This double charge led to a double death sentence. IHR director Mahmud Amiry-Moghaddam told the AFP news agency that according to all available information, M. is likely to be the youngest person sentenced to death in connection with the protests.
Also on Monday, the Iranian judiciary announced on its website “Misan Online” that the death sentence against 19-year-old Mohammed B., according to IHR, had been confirmed. The death penalty for B. was “confirmed by the Supreme Court” on December 6, it said. He can no longer appeal and can be executed at any time.
B. was also tried for being an “enemy of God.” According to Misan Online, he was accused of attacking a security officer with a knife and “terrifying the citizens”. He was also charged with “setting fire” to the administrative headquarters in the city of Pakdasht, south-east of the capital, Tehran.
According to its own statements, the Iranian judiciary has imposed a total of eleven death sentences in connection with the protests. Activists assume a higher number. “The Islamic Republic, which failed to end the protests after 109 days, must resort to intimidation and executions to ensure its survival,” Amiry-Moghaddam said.
Two death sentences have already been carried out. In December, in addition to the sentence against Mohammed B., another death sentence was confirmed. In the case of three other convicts, including a Kurdish rapper, a new trial has been scheduled by order of the Supreme Court.
Iran has been shaken by a wave of protests since the death of the young Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini on September 16. The 22-year-old died after being arrested by the vice squad for violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code. The Iranian authorities have denounced the nationwide demonstrations as “riots”.
